Santa Barbara Bowl

Goldenvoice cooks up another batch of Coachella sideshows in 2026

February 18, 2026 by Josh Herwitt Leave a Comment

As you might recall, Goldenvoice surprised many of us several months ago when it decided to release the 2026 lineup for Coachella well ahead of schedule.

The renowned promoter’s signature event in the California desert is celebrating 25 years this April after all, and though the shocking announcement back in September marked its earliest lineup drop yet, this is typically the time when Paul Tollett and company divulge their Coachella sideshows in support of the three-day, two-weekend festival.

With more than a decade under its belt now, that annual tradition will continue in 2026 and offer anyone who isn’t heading out to Indio — and even those who are — the chance to hear what music is coming to the Empire Polo Club in less than two months.

Southern Californians will have the most options to choose from, but just like the 2025 sideshows, this year’s “Goldenvoice Presents April” concert series will include the Bay Area as well. A total of 30 dates will span across Los Angeles County while also reaching Santa Barbara and San Diego in comparison to the 14 that will take place up north and extend into the month of May.

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Getting to experience some of the acts performing at Coachella in an intimate setting has always been one of the biggest selling points for these sideshows. However, many of the venues selected shouldn’t be overlooked either. Not only is the majestic Santa Barbara Bowl back in the equation for instance, but so are The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park and Humphrey’s Concerts by the Bay down south after both were included for the first time in 2024.

Many of the venues owned and operated by Goldenvoice in and around LA will once again be used too, from The Roxy and Fonda Theatre to The Glass House and Fox Theater Pomona out east where Tollett got his start. Though the Bay Area will officially kick off the festivities in March, the SoCal sideshows get underway a month later when Disclosure grace the stage for not one but two nights. And if we are going by past numbers, the 44 sideshows in 2026 is nearly identical to what we saw last year after significantly less in 2024 and 2023 (the record remains 62 in 2017 according to our count).

Below is the list of “Goldenvoice Presents April” sideshows in SoCal:

• Disclosure: April 7th (TUE) & April 8th (WED) @ Santa Barbara Bowl
• French Police: April 9th (THU) @ The Fonda Theatre
• RØZ with Cachirula & Loojan: April 9th (THU) @ The Glass House
• FKA twigs: April 9th (THU) @ The Sound (San Diego)
• Adam Beyer: April 10th (FRI) @ Sound Nightclub (21+)
• Groove Armada: April 11th (SAT) @ Sound Nightclub (21+)
• Royel Otis: April 13th (MON) @ The Sound (San Diego)
• David Byrne: April 14th (TUE) @ Santa Barbara Bowl
• Lykke Li: April 14th (TUE) @ The Fonda Theatre
• Subtronics: April 14th (TUE) @ The Fonda Theatre
• Los Retros with Carolina Durante: April 14th (TUE) @ The Glass House
• Ethel Cain: April 14th (TUE) @ The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park (San Diego)
• COBRAH: April 14th (TUE) @ The Sound (San Diego)
• Röyksopp (DJ Set) & LE YORA: April 14th (TUE) @ Sound Nightclub (21+)
• Fleshwater with Febuary: April 14th (TUE) @ The Roxy Theatre
• Noga Erez: April 15th (WED) @ El Rey Theatre
• Joost Klein: April 15th (WED) @ The Fonda Theatre
• Swae Lee: April 15th (WED) @ The Novo
• The Two Lips: April 15th (WED) @ The Roxy Theatre
• Wet Leg: April 15th (WED) @ Fox Theater Pomona
• DEVO: April 15th (WED) @ Humphreys Concerts by the Bay (San Diego)
• Prospa & Riordan: April 15th (WED) @ Sound Nightclub (21+)
• Mind Enterprises: April 16th (THU) @ The Roxy Theatre
• 54 Ultra with WHATMORE: April 16th (THU) @ The Glass House
• Dimension: April 16th (THU) @ Sound Nightclub (21+)
• Tomora: April 16th (THU) @ El Rey Theatre
• Suicidal Tendencies with Ceremony: April 16th (THU) @ Fox Theater Pomona
• &friends: April 17th (FRI) @ Sound Nightclub (21+)
• Joezi: April 18th (SAT) @ Sound Nightclub (21+)

Ready to get out there and see some live music? Tickets for the SoCal sideshows will go on sale here this Friday, February 20th or next Friday, February 27th at Noon PT. Most of the Bay Area shows have already gone on sale with the remaining ones available this Friday, February 20th. Fans can win a pair of Weekend 2 passes to Coachella as well, plus a Golden ticket to every “Goldenvoice Presents April” show in SoCal or NorCal (there are separate contests at the aforementioned link). It’s free to enter so don’t forget … fingers crossed!

Filed Under: Featured, Festivals Tagged With: &friends, 54 Ultra, Adam Beyer, Cachirula, Carolina Durante, Ceramony, Ceremony, Coachella, Coachella 2026, Coachella 2026 sideshows, Coachella Music and Arts Festival, Coachella Music and Arts Festival 2026, Coachella sideshows, Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival, Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival 2026, Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival 2026, COBRAH, David Byrne, Devo, Dimension, Disclosure, El Rey Theatre, Ethel Cain, Febuary, FKA twigs, Fleshwater, Fox Theater Pomona, French Police, Groove Armada, Humphreys Concerts by the bay, JADALAREIGN, Joezi, Joost Klein, LE YORA, Loojan, Los Retros, Lykke LI, Mind Enterprises, Noga Erez, Prospa, Prospa & Riordan, Rady Shell, Rady Shell at Jacobs Park, RØZ, Riordan, Royel Otis, Royksopp, Santa Barbara Bowl, Sound Nightclub, Subtronics, Suicidal Tendencies, Swae Lee, The Fonda Theatre, The Fox Theater Pomona, The Glass House, The Novo, The Novo DTLA, The Rady Shell, The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park, The Roxy, The Roxy Theatre, The Sound, The Two Lips, Tomora, Wet Leg, WHATMORE

Lord Huron make their hometown fans at Kia Forum see how they’ve gone from burgeoning indie-rock band to newly minted arena act

November 7, 2025 by Josh Herwitt 1 Comment

By Josh Herwitt //

Lord Huron with Feist //
Kia Forum – Inglewood, CA
November 2nd, 2025 //

One of the most redeeming qualities about following music and having the opportunity to address it in this space is watching the trajectory of any act that comes into our purview and strikes a chord with us. We see that kind of progression often manifest when an artist or band books larger rooms and bigger spaces for their latest tour, starting out in clubs of 500 or less and eventually graduating to ballrooms, theaters and amphitheaters that can hold as many as 10,000 fans.

But playing arenas requires a different level of “reach” aka popularity in layman’s terms, and if there’s an indie-rock outfit that I didn’t anticipate headlining arenas in an era when pop stars, rappers and DJs can fill seats at a much higher clip, Lord Huron would have to be on that list.

After all, the group’s continued growth is quite remarkable when you consider it was only 15 years ago that Ben Schneider (guitar, vocals, harmonica) founded Lord Huron as a solo project after relocating to Los Angeles from New York. A native of Michigan who drew inspiration from his visits to Lake Huron, he had been writing music even before studying visual arts while attending college in Ann Arbor as well as in France and then pursuing a career as an artist.

It was in LA, however, where Schneider’s dream as a musician would be realized after recording some material on his own that resulted in a couple of EPs and subsequent calls for him to perform live. That’s when he asked his childhood friends back home to join him on a wild ride that has only picked up more momentum since those early beginnings in 2010.

Schneider has surrounded himself with some different sidekicks since then, but Lord Huron’s cinematic sound and evocative imagery have always exuded modern country-western vibes. While their debut LP Lonesome Dreams laid the groundwork, it was the group’s 2015 follow-up Strange Trails that ushered in mainstream appeal and commercial success after the Netflix series “13 Reasons Why” shined a light on “The Night We Met” during its first and second seasons.

Any artist or band that has an album go certified platinum early on in its career — especially in this day and age — could easily rest on its laurels, and in spite of Strange Trails eclipsing that prestigious mark here stateside, there has been no letdown for Lord Huron. Their ensuing full length Vide Noir that they dropped three years later would reach as high as No. 9 on the Billboard 200 chart with such standouts as “Ancient Names (Part I)”, “Wait by the River”, “When the Night Is Over” and the title track bolstering the 12-song effort, ultimately cementing their status as one of the most exciting folk-based outfits in the past decade.

The indie-folk genre has felt increasingly crowded ever since the Garden State soundtrack came out in 2004 with Sub Pop and Saddle Creek, among other record labels, investing resources into upstarts like Iron & Wine and Fleet Foxes before Bon Iver, Mumford & Sons and The Lumineers would take things to another level. Those aren’t the only sonic-adjacent acts that come to mind when we consider how many others — including Father John Misty, Band of Horses, Local Natives, Grizzly Bear, The Paper Kites, Of Monsters and Men, Volcano Choir, and Blitzen Trapper to name quite a few — could also be lumped in with Lord Huron on the same bill now if push came to shove.

That’s actually something to celebrate given the uncertainty around the future of music and technology, but it is why we were surprised and at the same time equally impressed to see Schneider and company headlining the Kia Forum with a capacity of 17,500 to culminate a 44-date tour over the last five months that stretched from the U.S. to Europe and the UK before wrapping up along the West Coast.

I can’t and won’t claim to be a die-hard Lord Huron fan, but it was only a little more than four years ago when I caught them at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery in what proved to be one of the first concerts I witnessed coming out of an 18-month lockdown from the COVID-19 pandemic days after covering My Morning Jacket at the Santa Barbara Bowl (read our show review here). And it’s one that I can foresee myself always remembering — mainly because of the skeleton cowboy Schneider portrays as a visual metaphor for a psychonaut who’s exploring the space between life and death — as it was honestly too memorable to forget given the spooky environs that paired with the onstage production. The album that they were touring in support of was the first they had issued any singles for believe it or not, and 2021’s Long Lost proved again with “Mine Forever”, “Not Dead Yet” and “I Lied” (with Allison Ponthier) leading the way that they are not a one-trick pony.

As thoughts from the Hollywood Forever replayed in my head as I arrived in Inglewood on the first Sunday after turning the clocks back, walking into an arena-sized venue for a Lord Huron show felt slightly strange. Having spent two nights at The Forum in September for the final dates of Nine Inch Nails’ “Peel It Back Tour” with Boys Noize when every seat in the house was spoken for, this wasn’t quite the same turnout. Nevertheless, it was rather evident Lord Huron have upgraded their western-style stage production — complete with a pay phone Schneider pretended to operate at the outset — since the release of The Cosmic Selector Vol. 1 in July to mark the four-piece’s fifth studio album and arguably its most complete one yet.

In fact, watching more than half of the songs on The Cosmic Selector Vol. 1 come to life in front of a hometown crowd only gave us a deeper appreciation for Schneider’s songwriting capabilities and the evolution of Lord Huron’s sound with each album cycle. There was the upbeat, almost frenetic “Who Laughs Last?”, which features spoken word verses throughout by actress and director Kristen Stewart on the record, to kick things off plus two other Cosmic Selector highlights in the form of “Looking Back” and “Bag of Bones” that followed. The setlist assembled for this year’s tour incorporated every one of Lord Huron’s albums, and Strange Trails certainly got its due with four consecutive songs before parting ways — “La Belle Fleur Sauvage”, “Frozen Pines”, “Meet Me in the Woods” and their biggest hit “The Night We Met” that was accompanied by a female and male actor who role played as a couple in love before going their separate — leading into the encore break.

Schneider and his cohorts Mark Barry (drums, percussion, vocals), Miguel Briseño (bass, keyboards, percussion, theremin) and Tom Renaud (guitar, vocals) seemingly didn’t stop there, though. With three touring members Brandon Walters (guitar, vocals), Misty Boyce (keyboards, vocals) and Waylon Rector (guitar, vocals) mixing into the equation, “The World Ender” opened the encore like there was a stallion galloping through the desert at full speed to make it five straight from their sophomore smash. Whether it’s country and folk or rock and pop, there’s a little bit of something for everyone coming through Lord Huron’s music. Regardless of where you come down on it, you can’t argue — at least seriously — that it’s not an eclectic. Of course, that’s what makes them a major draw at this point and one we can tell is progressively hitting its stride.

LORD HURON

Setlist:
Who Laughs Last
Looking Back
Bag of Bones
Ends of the Earth
The Ghost on the Shore
Wait by the River
Secret of Life
Used to Know
Ancient Names, Pt. I
Long Lost
Twenty Long Years
Watch Me Go
I Lied
La Belle Fleur Sauvage
Frozen Pines
Meet Me in the Woods
The Night We Met

Encore:
The World Ender
Nothing I Need
Not Dead Yet
Life Is Strange

FEIST

Setlist:
I Feel It All
My Moon My Man
A Commotion
How Come You Never Go There
Hiding Out in the Open
Borrow Trouble
Let It Die
1234

Filed Under: Editor's Picks, Featured, Live Music Reviews Tagged With: Allison Ponthier, Band of Horses, Blitzen Trapper, Boys Noize, Feist, Grizzly Bear, Hollywood Forever Cemetery, Kia Forum, Kristen Stewart, Local Natives, Lord Huron, My Morning Jacket, Nine Inch Nails, Of Monsters and Men, Santa Barbara Bowl, The Paper Kites, Volcano Choir

The Flaming Lips & Modest Mouse team up for one of the summer’s best co-headline tours as we witnessed at the Santa Barbara Bowl

September 12, 2025 by Josh Herwitt 1 Comment

The Flaming Lips

By Josh Herwitt //

The Flaming Lips & Modest Mouse with Dehd //
Santa Barbara Bowl – Santa Barbara, CA
September 5th, 2025 //

A couple of weeks ago, we made the case that summer continues to be live music’s biggest and most important season after Louisville five-piece My Morning Jacket closed out their summer tour with three dates in California (see more photos from the shows here).

While the industry has always thrived when the days are long and weather is warm, one of the draws about seeing live music in the summer is the co-headline tour. Back in 2023 there was not only MMJ and Fleet Foxes sharing the iconic Hollywood Bowl’s stage (read our show review here), but also The Revivalists and Band of Horses that subsequently proved to be a fun mix to catch on a night out under the stars (see more photos from the show here).

Last summer didn’t offer much as far as co-headline tours go, and while having Phantogram open for Kings of Leon (see our photos from the show here) marked one of the best double bills from 2024, this year has brought together some new pairings and one standing out right away was psych-rock veterans The Flaming Lips joining forces with indie-rock pioneers Modest Mouse for “The Good Times Are Killing Me” tour across 18 U.S. cities.

Considering the longevity of both bands, each has spent countless hours on the road. Modest Mouse, after all, are no strangers to the co-headline tour, and while no pun was intended there, we do say that after watching them share the stage with Brand New back in 2016 on the heels of releasing their sixth studio album Strangers to Ourselves (read our show review here). Isaac Brock, who has served as the project’s lead vocalist, principal songwriter, guitarist and only constant member since forming out of the Pacific Northwest in the early 90’s, has kept things afloat even with founding members Eric Judy (bass, acoustic and rhythm guitar, keyboards, backing vocals) and of course the late Jeremiah Green (drums, percussion) no longer in the picture.

It has already been more than four years since Modest Mouse put out new music, but they also remain one of a select few indie acts to craft a unique setlist for each show — something you can expect from a jam band — and it’s what has compelled us to be “in the room” whenever they come to town. There are plenty of bigger fans of jam bands than yours truly, yet there’s something about not following the same script every night that makes a Modest Mouse concert feel special.

Modest Mouse

Surprisingly, no material on 2021’s The Golden Casket was touched when Brock and his sidekicks came to the Santa Barbara Bowl for their first visit in almost two decades. Instead, they leaned into older tunes from 2007’s We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank, 2004’s Good News for People Who Love Bad News, 2000’s The Moon & Antarctica, 1997’s The Lonesome Crowded West and even 1999’s Night on the Sun EP that was only made available in Japan. Highlights throughout their 75-minute set included several deep cuts starting with “Fly Trapped in a Jar” and “Paper Thin Walls” before “Perfect Disguise” and “Styrofoam Boots” came later as well as the new, unreleased “Dogbed/Sheetrock” that provided a change of pace sonically without Brock’s usual shout-bark vocals. What we found a bit ironic was not hearing the song the tour was named after, though we realized with a little bit of online research that it wasn’t played at any point during the tour and only twice so far in 2025.

The Flaming Lips, meanwhile, are still one of a kind and going strong for 40-plus years. This wasn’t our introduction, having seen them as early as 2003 when they were touring in support of what has become their landmark 2002 LP Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots, and the feeling of being totally overstimulated by Teletubbies and other costumed dancers onstage at the age of 18 has been burned into my memory forever. Since then, we have caught the Lips in a variety of other settings — from festivals to their own headline gigs — but maybe none better than when they took a sold-out audience in Los Angeles for a ride at The Theatre at Ace Hotel (now known as the United Theater on Broadway), the historic movie palace that was built in 1927 and only seats 1,600 (read our show review here).

As much as its music sounds different from Modest Mouse’s, there is enough crossover appeal with the Oklahoma City outfit led by founding member and frontman Wayne Coyne for a co-headline tour like this to work. In fact, this wasn’t the first time the two groups have played the same night at the Bowl after the “Unlimited Sunshine Tour” that also featured Kinky, Cake and De La Soul stopped through in 2002. And when we saw Modest Mouse celebrate the quarter-century mark for The Lonesome Crowded West just a few years ago at The Wiltern, they covered “Five Stop Mother Superior Rain” on the Lips’ 1990 studio effort In a Priest Driven Ambulance during the encore, so to assume that there is no familiarity between them would be foolhearted. That said, any enthusiast of 90’s rock could get behind what occurred over the next several hours and despite the venue’s tight curfew making for an early start time of 6 p.m., you could not ask for a more picturesque scene on a warm and beautiful Friday evening as Chicago three-piece Dehd kicked things off well over a year after their fifth full length Poetry dropped on Fat Possum Records to favorable reviews.

With all of the antics and shenanigans that transpire during a Flaming Lips performance, there’s no way someone could be bored by the constant barrage of confetti cannons, inflatable stage props, oversized costumes and trippy visuals projected on the large screen behind them. If so, we probably don’t want to hang out with them. There’s so much happening up there it’s easy to get lost in the chaos, but it’s really the music and not the production that has convinced us to come back for more. A cover of “The Golden Path” by The Chemical Brothers that the Lips contributed vocals on, for instance, got its own permanent spot midway through, and Coyne’s homage to Ozzy in the form of Black Sabbath’s “War Pigs” was the most recent tribute to the legendary Prince of Darkness we have witnessed after Primus at LA’s Greek Theatre (read our show review here) and MMJ at Red Rocks Amphitheatre (read our show review here) delivered their own to loud applauses.

Coyne and his cohorts have been honoring the 20th anniversary of Yoshimi for the past three years and their setlist for this tour, unlike Modest Mouse’s, did not deviate at all from one city to the next. Usual live staples “The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song (With All Your Power)”, “She Don’t Use Jelly” and crowd favorite “Do You Realize??” brought things to a fever pitch prior to the final homestretch that saw them end with The Soft Bulletin single “Race for the Prize”, which we remember was the opener for that initial encounter at the Hollywood Palladium. A lot has changed for the Lips in that span, whether it has been welcoming in new cast members or collaborating with household names such as Miley Cyrus, Thievery Corporation, Erykah Badu, Kesha, Nick Cave, Neon Indian and more. Coyne, for one, doesn’t appear to be slowing down at 64 years old, with his charisma channeling a love and zest for life he hasn’t lost, and we sure hope somehow he never does.

THE FLAMING LIPS

Setlist:
Sleeping on the Roof
Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots, Pt. 1
Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots, Pt. 2
Turn It On
Pompeii Am Götterdämmerung
Five Stop Mother Superior Rain
The Golden Path (The Chemical Brothers cover)
Feeling Yourself Disintegrate
The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song (With All Your Power)
She Don’t Use Jelly
Do You Realize??

Encore:
War Pigs (Black Sabbath cover)
Race for the Prize

MODEST MOUSE

Setlist:
King Rat
Float On
Fly Trapped in a Jar
Teeth Like God’s Shoeshine
Dogbed/Sheetrock
Paper Thin Walls
Ocean Breathes Salty
Perfect Disguise
Night on the Sun
Dance Hall
Dashboard
Little Motel
Third Side of the Moon
Styrofoam Boots
Spitting Venom

Filed Under: Editor's Picks, Featured, Live Music Reviews Tagged With: Band of Horses, Black Sabbath, Brand New, CAKE, De La Soul, Dehd, Erykah Badu, Fat Possum, Fat Possum Records, Fleet Foxes, Greek Theatre, Hollywood Palladium, Kesha, Kia Forum, Kings of Leon, Kinky, Miley Cyrus, Modest Mouse, My Morning Jacket, Neon Indian, Nick Cave, Ozzy Osbourne, Phantogram, Primus, Red Rocks, Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Red Rocks Park & Amphitheatre, Red Rocks Park and Amphitheatre, Santa Barbara Bowl, The Flaming Lips, The Revivalists, The Theatre at Ace Hotel, The Wiltern, Thievery Corporation, United Theater on Broadway

My Morning Jacket close out their 2025 summer tour in a big way at Hollywood Palladium, Santa Barbara Bowl & Greek Theatre Berkeley

August 29, 2025 by Josh Herwitt 1 Comment

My Morning Jacket - Greek Theatre Berkeley 2025 - Jim James

My Morning Jacket at Greek Theatre Berkeley

By Josh Herwitt //

My Morning Jacket with Melt //
Hollywood Palladium, Santa Barbara Bowl & Greek Theatre – Los Angeles, Santa Barbara & Berkeley
August 19th-20th & 22nd, 2025 //

Is there a better season for live music than summer?

Even if it’s not your favorite season personally, it’s certainly live music’s. With the days long and weather warm, that’s when the industry truly thrives as summer tours and festivals take center stage all across of the world.

And while it doesn’t matter to us what time of the year it is when My Morning Jacket go on tour, it’s hard to beat seeing the Grammy-nominated quintet perform during the summertime. For fans of Jacket, that can often mean a chance to see them at some of the country’s best outdoor venues, and regardless of who’s onstage, there’s always something special about taking in a concert under the stars to go with an unlimited supply of fresh air.

Coming off two stellar performances at the iconic Red Rocks Amphitheatre (read our show review here) the previous weekend in support of their 10th full length is, MMJ headed west to California for the final three dates of their summer tour with NYC indie-soul outfit Melt.

My Morning Jacket - Santa Barbara Bowl 2025 - band

My Morning Jacket at Santa Barbara Bowl

It had been almost exactly two years since Jacket had played in LA during what was a magical evening at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery (read our show review here) after their headlining set at BeachLife Festival in 2024 was abruptly canceled due to high winds (read our festival review here), and with the band designating its already scheduled date at the Hollywood Palladium as one of five shows to honor the 20th anniversary of their fourth LP Z and playing its only indoor one of the summer, it felt like Jim James (lead vocals, guitar), Tom Blankenship (bass), Patrick Hallahan (drums, percussion), Bo Koster (keyboards, percussion, backing vocals) and Swiss Army knife Carl Broemel (guitar, pedal steel guitar, saxophone, backing vocals) were intent on making up for lost time without a strict curfew to follow. We were treated to two sets and an encore as a result, with MMJ extending past the 2.5-hour mark thanks to stirring renditions of “Beginning from the Ending”, “Touch Me I’m Going to Scream Pt. 2”, “Where to Begin” and “Spring (Among the Living)”, the latter of which featuring a beautiful hat tip to the late Ozzy Osbourne in the form of a “Mama I’m Coming Home” tag.

Though we wouldn’t hear Z from start to finish the following night, the album still got some play at the picturesque Santa Barbara Bowl as Jacket opened with “Anytime” and brought back the intro jam on “Off the Record” that we fell in love with when we first heard their MMJ Live Vol. 1: Live 2015 release drop in 2022. “Phone Went West” would lead straight into “Only Memories Remain” and serve as an instant highlight, along with is standout “River Road” stretching past eight minutes to jumpstart a four-song encore that also boasted “The Way That He Sings” from 2001’s At Dawn.

Summer tour came to a close more than 300 miles north for my first visit to the Greek Theatre Berkeley, and the Friday night finale proved to be well worth the trek up to the 8,500-person amphitheater. Older tunes such as “X-Mas Curtain”, “Honest Man” and “I Think I’m Going to Hell” that we didn’t happen to hear in either LA or Santa Barbara made it into the setlist, as well as the trippy “Still Thinkin” off 2020’s The Waterfall II and the live debut of John Lennon’s “Love” around the midway point. But easily one of the biggest surprises came on the other side of the encore break as the group uncorked Evil Urges cut “Librarian” for just the second time this year and eventually treated us to some “Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin” before it was all said and done — because a MMJ show in the Bay Area wouldn’t be complete without a little Sly & the Family Stone of course.

James and his sidekicks will return to the road for the third leg of “My Morning Jacket ‘is’ On Tour” this fall, and although we don’t have plans (or the funds quite honestly) to follow one of our favorite live acts around the country for a few weeks, it wouldn’t take much to convince us otherwise. That’s how good it feels to bathe in MMJ’s music whenever they turn on the lights, plug in and melt minds, compelling us to travel considerable lengths to witness each of their three California shows in a span of four days. In the meantime, here’s hoping we don’t have to wait as long before we get to experience it again.

AUGUST 19TH – HOLLYWOOD PALLADIUM

Setlist:
Set 1 (Z)
Wordless Chorus
It Beats 4 U
Gideon
What a Wonderful Man
Off the Record
Into the Woods
Anytime
Lay Low
Knot Comes Loose
Dondante

Set 2
Beginning From the Ending
Touch Me I’m Going to Scream Pt. 1
Die for It
Holdin on to Black Metal (with Veronica Stewart-Frommer)
Mahgeetah
Time Waited
Everyday Magic
Circuital
Touch Me I’m Going to Scream Pt. 2

Encore:
Where to Begin
Spring (Among the Living) (with “Mama I’m Coming Home” and “Dear Prudence” tags)
Dancefloors

Editors’ Note: “Z” 20th anniversary show.

AUGUST 20TH – SANTA BARBARA BOWL

Setlist:
Anytime
I Can Hear Your Love
Circuital
Lemme Know
Mahgeetah
Golden (with Veronica Stewart-Frommer)
Run It
Half a Lifetime
Evil Urges
Here in Spirit (Jim James song) (with Veronica Stewart-Frommer)
Phone Went West (>)
Only Memories Remain
Wordless Chorus
Off the Record (included intro jam)
Squid Ink
Smokin’ From Shootin’
Touch Me I’m Going to Scream Pt. 2

Encore:
River Road
I’m Amazed
The Way That He Sings
One Big Holiday

AUGUST 22ND – GREEK THEATRE BERKELEY

Setlist:
Out in the Open
X-Mas Curtain
Lay Low
Honest Man
Time Waited
Still Thinkin
Everyday Magic
Least Expected
Gideon
Love (John Lennon cover) (live debut by MMJ)
Steam Engine
Cobra
Here in Spirit (Jim James song) (with Veronica Stewart-Frommer)
Holdin on to Black Metal (with Veronica Stewart-Frommer)
I Think I’m Going to Hell
Victory Dance
Die for It
Wordless Chorus

Encore:
Librarian
Spring (Among the Living) (with “Dear Prudence” tag)
Phone Went West (>”Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)” by Sly & the Family Stone)

Filed Under: Editor's Picks, Featured, Photos Tagged With: BeachLife Festival, Greek Theatre Berkeley, Hollywood Palladium, Jim James, John Lennon, Melt, My Morning Jacket, Ozzy Osbourne, Red Rocks, Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Red Rocks Park & Amphitheatre, Red Rocks Park and Amphitheatre, Santa Barbara Bowl, Sly & The Family Stone, The Beatles

After canceling last year’s arena tour, The Black Keys try to forge a new path forward while making their debut at LA’s Greek Theatre

June 9, 2025 by Josh Herwitt Leave a Comment

By Josh Herwitt //

The Black Keys with The Heavy Heavy //
Greek Theatre – Los Angeles
June 3rd, 2025 //

There are certain bands over the past two decades that didn’t attain mainstream success until years after their formation.

One that always stood out is Modest Mouse with the 90’s alt-rock group not reaching radio listeners and late-night TV viewers until their fourth LP Good News for People Who Love Bad News came out in 2004 and boasted Grammy-nominated hit “Float On” despite previously releasing three excellent albums over a four-year stretch at the start.

The Black Keys are another that immediately comes to mind, considering the bluesy garage-rock duo comprised of Dan Auerbach (guitar, vocals) and Patrick Carney (drums) issued five albums in a matter of six years before cracking the Top 10 of the U.S. Billboard 200 with its 2010 breakthrough Brothers.

While the Danger Mouse-produced effort climbed as high as No. 3 on the charts here in the states, it was the Keys’ subsequent studio material — 2011’s El Camino and 2014’s Turn Blue — that saw the two-piece level up to the No. 2 and No. 1 spots, respectively. We remember being struck by the latter upon first listen (read our album review here) that ended up as one of our favorites in a crowded field that year (see our picks here).

Auberbach and Carney have put out four more albums since then, with 2019’s Let’s Rock, 2021’s Delta Kream and 2022’s Dropout Boogie landing inside the Top 10 — an impressive feat considering that one was just covers of hill country blues songs they recorded “in about 10 hours.”

Things took a turn last spring when the two childhood friends from Akron unveiled Ohio Players and had to stomach not only the mixed reviews from critics, but also the fact that it marked their first album to not make the Top 20 in 18 years. Ironically enough, lead single “Beautiful People (Stay High)” still managed to receive Grammy nominations for Best Rock Performance and Best Rock Song even if only two other songs were dropped in advance of the 14-track LP.

The charts weren’t the only indication that Ohio Players lacked the same fanfare as the Keys’ previous albums, though. That became even more apparent when the five-time Grammy winners had to cancel their North American arena tour due to poor ticket sales, yet still hard to believe for a band that in 2013 was nominated for Album of the Year. Because as Carney told Rolling Stone earlier this year after the pair fired its management: “Shit happens.”

Just how bad did it get? We will let you be the judge, but they had to forfeit almost $10 million in ticket sales and agreed to play an “America Loves Crypto” concert in their hometown for “a lot of money” as the 2024 elections loomed. If that doesn’t sound at least a tad desperate, then we might be working in the wrong business and aren’t afraid to admit it.

Auerbach and Carney, nonetheless, weren’t waiting to put last year’s turmoil behind them. A month into this year, they had already announced the first leg of their “No Rain, No Flowers” tour beginning in May and revealed the same name for the Keys’ next album a week before a string of U.S. shows scheduled at smaller, yet iconic venues such as Red Rocks Amphitheatre and Berkeley’s historic Greek Theatre.

What’s also hard to believe is that the Keys have never stepped foot onstage at LA’s own Greek Theatre in all their visits to the entertainment capital. It probably wasn’t the way they wanted to make their debut after more than two decades on the scene, but that’s how fast the band’s ascent was in the early 2010’s as it bypassed midsize rooms and went straight from headlining clubs to arenas in a couple of years.

For as much commercial success as The Black Keys have attained however, their live show lacks the same element of surprise that has made Jack White one of today’s best rock acts to catch in the flesh after witnessing him command the stage during his sold-out shows at Hollywood Palladium and Santa Barbara Bowl (read our show review here) last month in electrifying fashion. Auerbach and Carney, on the other hand, aren’t ones to switch up their setlist every night when they definitely could, although it was a pleasure to hear them dust off “Too Afraid to Love You” for the first time since 2015 in LA.

The rest of the evening went pretty much according to plan, with a cover of Canned Heat’s 1968 hit “On the Road Again” that was followed by the title track on their 13th full length coming in August. So far only two songs off No Rain, No Flowers have been revealed, including “The Night Before” that came midway through the Keys’ 90-minute affair at the Greek. What might have been more noticeable toward the end of their two-song encore was no Ohio Players material had been performed, and while that has certainly been the trend on this tour, we would venture to guess it’s not merely by coincidence. Even their recent single “Babygirl” didn’t make the cut, and we would have loved to catch personal favorites like “Just Got to Be” on 2006’s Magic Potion, “Strange Times” from 2008’s Attack & Release and “Shine a Little Light” that opens 2019’s Let’s Rock. If anything, it’s a reminder of just how expansive The Black Keys’ catalog is at this point, and as much as we enjoy hearing “Weight of Love” get its moment in the spotlight, there is something about dialing up the same setlist that feels beneath where a band of this caliber should be. That might be asking a lot of Auerbach, Carney and their cast of touring sidekicks, but as fans from their early days, we know it’s what would keep us coming back for more.

THE BLACK KEYS

Setlist:
Thickfreakness / The Breaks / I’ll Be Your Man
Your Touch
Gold on the Ceiling
Fever
Wild Child
I Got Mine
Everlasting Light
Next Girl
The Night Before
Lo/Hi
Weight of Love
Too Afraid to Love You (first time live since 2015)
Tighten Up
On the Road Again (Canned Heat cover)
No Rain, No Flowers
Heavy Soul
Howlin’ for You
She’s Long Gone

Encore:
Little Black Submarines
Lonely Boy

Editors’ Note: The entire show can be viewed here.

THE HEAVY HEAVY

Setlist:
Parakeets
Miles and Miles
Lemonade
Man of the Hills
All My Dreams
Cherry
Go Down River
Happiness
One of a Kind

Filed Under: Editor's Picks, Featured, Live Music Reviews Tagged With: Billboard Hot 100 Festival, Canned Heat, Danger Mouse, Greek Theatre, Hollywood Palladium, Jack White, Modest Mouse, Red Rocks, Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Red Rocks Park & Amphitheatre, Red Rocks Park and Amphitheatre, Santa Barbara Bowl, The Black Keys, The Heavy Heavy

Jack White shows his SoCal fans why he’s Hall of Fame material with sold-out performances at Hollywood Palladium & Santa Barbara Bowl

May 19, 2025 by Josh Herwitt 4 Comments

Jack White at Hollywood Palladium

Photos courtesy of Jack White // Written by Josh Herwitt //

Jack White //
Hollywood Palladium & Santa Barbara Bowl – Los Angeles & Santa Barbara
May 12th-13th & 15th, 2025 //

If you talk to most people across the music industry and those who follow music, you won’t hear a lot of reverence for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

Even after being established more than 40 years ago, it has about as much clout as the Grammys do these days and let’s be honest … that’s not saying much.

But every once and a while the RRHOF nominating committee gets it right, and this year’s induction of The White Stripes felt appropriate along with Soundgarden and OutKast (we know what you’re thinking, but the latter actually is far from being the first hop-hop act to earn the honor).

The gritty, bluesy garage rock that poured out of Detroit natives Jack White (guitar, keyboards, piano, vocals) and Meg White (drums, percussion, vocals) in the late 90’s and early 2000’s until their parting was unlike anything anyone had heard and seen at that time from only two rock musicians — let alone two who were married to each other for the band’s first few years but publicly presented themselves as siblings before eventually divorcing — playing their respective instruments.

And although he won’t publicly admit this, much of that had to do ultimately with Jack’s creativity and virtuosity as a guitarist. His distinct and unmistakable style that’s often highlighted by his high-pitched, screeching solos has propelled him into elite company with other legendary six-stringers like the late Jimi Hendrix and Eddie Van Halen or the great Jimmy Page and Eric Clapton.

Since the Stripes called it quits back in 2011 and Meg decided to put down the sticks for good, Jack has continued writing music at a prolific rate as a solo artist first and foremost but also for his other projects that include The Raconteurs and supergroup The Dead Weather with Alison Mosshart of The Kills.

Jack White at Santa Barbara Bowl

His sixth solo album No Name, which was surprise released last summer and initially distributed in the form of a free 12-inch vinyl with all purchases made at any Third Man Records location, ranked as one of our favorites in 2024 (see our picks here) and was named in several other “Best of 2024” lists.

Nevertheless, we would have to wait more than six months after first hearing the new material to catch Jack and his new cast of sidekicks in Southern California. Missing out on tickets for his album release shows in more intimate settings such as Lodge Room and the Mayan in October, our next opportunity to see him in the flesh came early this year thanks to the annual NAMM Show in Anaheim. It was on a rainy Saturday night in late January that we saw White perform about half of the songs from No Name during a sold-out gig he announced at the Grove of Anaheim and sold tickets for just a few days prior.

With shows on his “No Name Tour” already booked in LA and Santa Barbara this spring, it was a little surprising to see Jack book another one in SoCal ahead of those dates, but that’s what one of the last remaining guitar heroes continues to do more than three decades into his career whether he’s making new music or playing live: surprise.

The support for this tour has followed very much in the same vein, with Jack selecting a local band from each city he visits and revealing who it will be with only hours to go before showtime. That’s not why we spent two straight nights at the Hollywood Palladium as we did three years ago at LA’s YouTube Theater (read our show review here) — or at the Shrine Auditorium in 2012 — and embarked on another trek up the coast to the Santa Barbara Bowl after witnessing Jack’s debut there in 2018 for his third studio effort Boarding House Reach (read our show review here), however.

A lot has changed for Mr. White since those tours. Outside of bassist Dominic Davis, his backing band has been turned over with Patrick Keeler (The Greenhornes, The Raconteurs and The Afghan Whigs) replacing Daru Jones on drums and Bobby Emmett subbed in for Quincy McCrary on keyboards. He’s also married again for a third time — and we all know how much he loves the number three with Jack White III serving as one of his two pseudonyms — with his wife Olivia Jean growing her own career in the music industry and contributing at times to his, including recently providing bass or drums for some tracks on No Name. And not that it’s any of our business, but it does seem like they are a “good match” for each other in true Motor City fashion (no pun intended). Plus, we would be remiss to not bring up the fact he has moved away from his strict “no phones” policy, which saw him partner with Yondr up until his return to the stage last year. Watching him shred one axe after the next through a sea of phones in LA might have felt a bit different than what we have come to expect after seeing more than a dozen of his shows, but we can’t say it completely ruined the experience for us with Jack on top of his game and the crowd’s energy level never wavering throughout his 90-minute sets.

All things aside not related to his music, the 12-time Grammy winner still remains a must-see every time he comes town and for us that’s anywhere within a reasonable driving distance. Because as his sound expands further into new territory — this time leaning even harder into his garage-rock roots with some punk elements — and his artistry evolves deeper with each album, Jack’s shows never get old no matter how many evenings you have previously spent with him. Sure, there was a decent amount of overlap in the setlists across these latest three concerts we witnessed, yet Jack’s penchant for improvisation in the live space continues to seep into the overall DNA of his performances and offers a level of ambiguity (in a great way) for fans. Of course a place in the Rock Hall is certainly well-deserved for a multi-hyphenate musician whose biggest hit has been heard blasting out of PA systems in arenas and stadiums at major sporting events for almost 20 years now. In fact, when’s the last time the home team didn’t play “Seven Nation Army” at one point during a game? If you really want to understand what makes Jack so special though, you have to experience the magic of his live shows for yourself.

MAY 12TH – HOLLYWOOD PALLADIUM

Setlist:
Intro Jam
Old Scratch Blues
That’s How I’m Feeling
Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground (The White Stripes song)
Instrumental Jam
Me and the Devil Blues (Robert Johnson cover) (Soap&Skin version)
It’s Rough on Rats (If You’re Asking)
Little Bird (The White Stripes song) (with “Me and the Devi Blues” outro)
Hotel Yorba (The White Stripes song)
What’s Done Is Done
Broken Boy Soldier (The Raconteurs song)
Why Walk a Dog?
Sixteen Saltines
Cannon (The White Stripes song)
The Union Forever (The White Stripes song) (with “Cannon” outro)
Fell in Love With a Girl (The White Stripes song)

Encore:
Encore Jam
Archbishop Harold Holmes
I’m Slowly Turning Into You (The White Stripes song)
What’s the Rumpus?
Lazaretto
Underground (with “Me and the Devil Blues” outro)
Seven Nation Army (The White Stripes song)

MAY 13TH – HOLLYWOOD PALLADIUM

Setlist:
Intro Jam
Old Scratch Blues
I Wanna Be Your Dog (The Stooges cover)
That’s How I’m Feeling
Black Math (The White Stripes song)
Bombing Out
It’s Rough on Rats (If You’re Asking)
Let’s Build a Home (The White Stripes song)
What’s the Rumpus?
High Ball Stepper
Hello Operator (The White Stripes song)
I Cut Like a Buffalo (The Dead Weather song)

Encore:
Encore Jam
Steady, as She Goes (The Raconteurs song)
Archbishop Harold Holmes
Ball and Biscuit (The White Stripes song) (with “You Can’t Get That Stuff No More” by Tampa Red snippet)
Icky Thump (The White Stripes song)
Seven Nation Army (The White Stripes song)

MAY 15TH – SANTA BARBARA BOWL

Setlist:
Intro Jam
Old Scratch Blues
That’s How I’m Feeling
Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground (The White Stripes song)
It’s Rough on Rats (If You’re Asking)
Little Bird (The White Stripes song)
Love Interruption
Cannon (The White Stripes song)
The Union Forever (The White Stripes song)
Tonight (Was a Long Time Ago)
Broken Boy Soldier (The Raconteurs song)
Lazaretto
The Hardest Button to Button (The White Stripes song) (shortened version; >)
Archbishop Harold Holmes

Encore:
Encore Jam
Icky Thump (The White Stripes song)
That Black Bat Licorice
Ball and Biscuit (The White Stripes song)
Underground
Seven Nation Army (The White Stripes song)

Filed Under: Editor's Picks, Featured, Live Music Reviews Tagged With: Alison Mosshart, City National Grove of Anaheim, Eddie Van Halen, Grove of Anaheim, Hollywood Palladium, Jack White, Jimi Hendrix, Lodge Room, Mayan Theater, NAMM Show, Olivia Jean, OutKast, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Rock and Rock Hall of Fame, Santa Barbara Bowl, Shrine Auditorium, Shrine Auditorium & Expo Hall, Soundgarden, The Afghan Whigs, The Dead Weather, The Greenhornes, The Kills, The Mayan, The Raconteurs, The White Stripes, Van Halen

Phantogram prove they are more than just headlining material at a sold-out Hollywood Palladium to wrap up their North American tour

March 7, 2025 by Josh Herwitt Leave a Comment

By Josh Herwitt //

Phantogram with Sunday (1994), Ginger and the Peppers //
Hollywood Palladium – Los Angeles
February 28th, 2025 //

Even prior to catching Phantogram open for Kings of Leon at the always-beautiful Santa Barbara Bowl last summer (see our photos from their performance here), we knew that it wouldn’t be long before the street-beat/psych-pop duo embarked on its own proper headlining tour.

After all, Sarah Barthel (vocals, keyboards, piano, programming, synthesizers, guitars, production) and Josh Carter (vocals, guitars, programming, synthesizers, drums, percussion, production) a week earlier had just announced that their fifth LP Memory of a Day would be dropping in less than two months after unleashing “All a Mystery” and “Happy Again” as its initial two offerings.

The 12-track album arrived in October, more than four years after 2020’s Ceremony came at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic when things felt very uncertain around the world — and in many ways, they still feel very similar with an unhinged, autocratic demagogue running the free world again.

Despite having five singles issued ahead of its release after working with three-time Grammy-winning producer Andrew Dawson and the Grammy-nominated BOOTS in the studio though, Ceremony didn’t receive the same sort of fanfare as 2014’s Voices and 2016’s Three that boast some of Phantogram’s biggest hits in their catalog. While the record’s timing with the coronavirus raging out of control could have played a huge role in how it was received, you can hear Barthel and Carter chartering a different path sonically from where they started 10 years earlier on their debut full length Eyelid Movies as well.

It could be one of several reasons why at times only two songs (“Pedestal” and “Glowing”) off Ceremony made it onto the setlist during their recent “Running Through Colors” tour that spanned 28 cities across North America before a third tune (“Let Me Down”) was added back for the final three dates, culminating on a Friday night at a sold-out Hollywood Palladium with LA dream-pop act Sunday (1994) and Brazilian rockers Ginger and the Peppers serving as support.

Either way, Barthel and Carter have moved on with the spotlight squarely on their latest material now. There are moments on Memory of a Day that sonically evoke the spirit of the New York group’s early discography as Carter’s scintillating synths and bombastic beats collide with Barthel’s breathy, vibrant vocals — a recipe for success that has ultimately propelled them to pack rooms as large as the 4,000-person Palladium to the gills for more than a decade (here’s our proof in case you don’t believe us).

The hard-hitting trip-hop of “Jealousy” strikes that tone right from the onset as Barthel comes out guns blazing, leaving nothing up to interpretation with a candid inner monologue that quickly has us nodding along to her confessions of “Burning on the inside / It’s cool, I’ll kill you with a smile / Congratulations / But really ‘fuck you’ in my mind” in the opening verse. You know, because haven’t we all had some of these thoughts before?

Barthel’s lyrics have always been accessible and often relatable, but with this show being livestreamed for a modest price, she made sure to bring her “A” game for an evening that you could have unofficially labeled as “Date Night in LA: Phantogram edition” based on the sheer number of couples in attendance. The reward would be not only getting to hear Phantogram dust off gems like “Don’t Move” on their 2011 EP Nightlife and employ a full spectrum of colors to light up the stage over the course of 90 minutes, but also dig into more than half of Memory of a Day. What was somewhat curious is that Barthel and Carter didn’t perform “Running Through Colors” at any point on the tour given the name they chose — and the same could be said for the title track being skipped — yet the band did make the capacity crowd “Come Alive” via a rousing applause before exiting stage left for its brief encore break.

Since reconnecting in 2007 after returning home to the Saratoga Springs area, Barthel and Carter have turned their childhood friendship into a creative partnership that has earned them appearances at major music festivals around the world as well as unique collaborations with household names such as Big Boi and Tom Morello, the latter of which we actually covered a few weeks ago at the House of Blues down in Anaheim (read our show review here). Amidst all of the fame and fortune however, it only seems natural that a cross-country move to LA would eventually be in the cards for Phantogram considering this city’s penchant for attracting creatives and its undying love for live music.

And as much as they have fit right into their adopted hometown, Barthel and Carter know how to save their best for last when they are onstage. It’s hard to believe almost 10 years have passed since “You Don’t Get Me High Anymore” first entered our earholes, and in that span, the lead single on Three has not lost any of its staying power. In fact, we haven’t been able to stop replaying its catchy chorus in our head after being sandwiched in the middle of Phantogram’s three-song encore. That’s what any artist should hope for when it comes to telling their story, with the cream of the crop making music that can stand the test of time. Of course, only time will tell if Memory of a Day makes a lasting impression like most of their previous efforts have, and as Phantogram brought us back to the late aughts with “When I’m Small” tying a bow on the show and a six-week tour, we took a deep breath and remembered that the memory they have already left will live inside of us for more than a day but rather a lifetime.

PHANTOGRAM

Setlist:
Jealousy
Don’t Move
Fall in Love
Feedback Invisible
Pedestal
It Wasn’t Meant to Be
Mouthful of Diamonds
Run Run Blood
Attaway
You Are the Ocean
Answer
All a Mystery
Happy Again
Black Out Days
Let Me Down
Come Alive

Encore:
Glowing
You Don’t Get Me High Anymore
When I’m Small

SUNDAY (1994)

Setlist:
Blonde
Stained Glass Window
TV Car Chase
Mascara
Our Troubles
Blossom
Tired Boy

GINGER AND THE PEPPERS

Setlist:
Intro
Nails
Pinch
The Ocean
Alê solo
Stolen Crown
Neighborhood
Spirals of Time

Filed Under: Editor's Picks, Featured, Live Music Reviews Tagged With: Andrew Dawson, Big Boi, BOOTS, Ginger and the Peppers, Hollywood Palladium, Kings of Leon, Phantogram, Santa Barbara Bowl, Sunday 1994, Tom Morello

First Times: Discovering what makes The Ventura Theater ‘majestic’ with DIIV closing their California tour in the wake of the Eaton Fire

February 28, 2025 by Josh Herwitt Leave a Comment

By Josh Herwitt //

DIIV with Kraus //
The Ventura Theater – Ventura, CA
February 24th, 2025 //

With the way the music industry has changed over the past two decades, it’s no secret that live music venues all around the world remain the lifeblood for most artists and musicians to survive in the ever-challenging streaming era.

Unfortunately the long-lasting economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic continues to put many of these sacred spaces at risk, which is another reason, among others, why it’s essential to support live music when touring costs have spiked and so much of life is spent behind a screen now.

But for as many concerts as I attend due in large part to the “work” that ends up being published here on this website, it’s not very often I get to take in one at a music venue I have never been to before. Visiting different rooms — whether it’s a small club or large arena — has always been part of the fun that comes with going to shows and became even more of a personal interest when I took up writing about music.

More specifically, I have always been fascinated by historic theaters and growing up in an entertainment capital like Los Angeles certainly exposed me to a number of them — from Royce Hall on the campus of UCLA to the Pantages Theatre on Hollywood Blvd. — as well as the plethora of other options spread out across the Southland.

More than 65 miles north of LA though, The Ventura Theater is one that has been on my radar for quite a while. As the only luxury theater built in Ventura County to fit the style of the great movie palaces from the 1920s, you won’t find architecture like this anymore at a modern music venue. Designed back when architects such as Lewis Arthur Smith were influenced by the Spanish Colonial Revival movement while they developed these establishments for a burgeoning motion-picture business, its triple-arched balcony that’s recessed and divided by double Corinthian columns provides a strong indication the building was constructed a long time ago.

How long ago you ask? Well, don’t let the rather unassuming façade below the marquee fool you. At first glance you might not think the 1,200-person theater could be celebrating its centennial birthday in 2028, but once you walk past the main foyer, you can immediately understand why it proclaims to be “the best venue between LA and San Francisco” even if the Santa Barbara Bowl would rightfully have something to say about that.

What makes The Majestic Ventura Theater, as its more commonly referred to, so special is what stands out right away: the Spanish Mission style art, gilt-laden walls, intricate lighting fixtures and of course the handmade sunburst chandelier that burns bright during intermissions and accentuates the auditorium’s lavish opulence. Meanwhile, the funky, wide-reaching murals of rainbows, flowers, music and sunshine as you head upstairs to the balcony section transport you to the 60’s when the counterculture started to gain momentum. As one of the defining structures in Ventura’s downtown district, it’s no surprise nearly 50 years have passed since the elegant theater was declared a landmark by the city before later being added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1986.

Regardless of the fact that Ventura remains better known for its beaches and craft beer than any sort of live music scene at this point, there’s no question the Majestic has maintained a rich and vibrant history dedicated to showcasing all genres. And after almost 100 years, it continues to book shows throughout the calendar year featuring a wide variety of talent that don’t venture for the smaller Ventura Music Hall we checked out less than two months after officially opening its doors in 2022 to watch Royal Blood do their thing (read our show review here).

For us, it took an act that we just covered in June at one of LA’s most renowned theaters to convince us the moment had come for our initial trip to the Majestic. Seven months earlier DIIV made us feel hopeful at The Wiltern that there’s a future for indie rock (read our show review here), and something about The Ventura Theater’s tiered layout reminded us of the Art Deco beauty in Koreatown despite being finished three years prior. But sadly Zachary Cole Smith (lead vocals, guitar) and his sideways — one of which being the always animated, yet currently sedentary Andrew Bailey (guitar) due to a recent injury along with Colin Caulfield (bass, keyboards, guitar, vocals) and Ben Newman (drums) — have had more on their minds recently than solely music after the Eaton Fire destroyed Smith’s house in Altadena and a bunch of the band’s gear.

Somehow tragedy and trauma haven’t stopped the quartet from hitting the road this year in support of 2024’s Frog in Boiling Water however, with the Majestic serving as the fourth and final date of a brief California tour that began in Pomona where another shoegaze outfit captivated us last year thanks to their own brand of distorted guitars and dreamy vocals (read our First Times coverage here).

DIIV may lazily get lumped in with slowdive when you search online for popular shoegaze bands, but their performances have a distinct vibe and tone. On the surface, the crowd leans younger given that they have yet to reach the 15-year mark since Smith created the project as a solo endeavor, and on a deeper level, there’s a consistent stream of sociopolitical commentary that their UK counterparts have strayed away from. Because if you don’t come away with any sense of dystopian despair after seeing DIIV take the stage, then you weren’t paying close enough attention that night.

This also wasn’t the first time we have caught supporting act Kraus after witnessing their opening set at The Wiltern for Explosions in the Sky (read our show review here) and the trio led by Will Kraus (vocals, guitar) did their best to engage those of us who showed up by 8 p.m. with their noisy take on shoegaze. Had it not been a Monday, there might have been more than a few hundred people in attendance when the evening’s main act arrived onstage. In the grand scheme of things, none of that mattered for us. We were there to discover what exactly makes The Ventura Theater “majestic,” and by all accounts, we can say after this latest experience at one of Southern California’s most treasured and storied music venues that mission was accomplished.

Setlist:
In Amber
Like Before You Were Born
Brown Paper Bag
Under the Sun
Sometime
Soul-net
Frog in Boiling Water
Take Your Time
Taker
Everyone Out
Reflected
Somber the Drums
Between Tides
Blankenship
Acheron
Raining on Your Pillow

Encore:
Raining on Your Pillow
Horsehead
Doused

Filed Under: Editor's Picks, Featured, First Times, Show Experience Tagged With: DIIV, Eaton Fire, Explosions in the Sky, Hollywood Pantages Theatre, Kraus, Pantages Theatre, Royal Blood, Royce Hall, Santa Barbara Bowl, The Majestic Ventura Theater, The Mayan, The Pantages, The Regent Theater, The Regent Theater DTLA, The Ventura Theater, The Wiltern, Ventura Music Hall

The Bam Team’s 5 Favorite Shows, Albums & Songs of 2024

December 30, 2024 by The Bam Team 2 Comments

2024 was a BIG year for music. With a continued return to normalcy playing out following the first global pandemic in more than a century, the past 12 months produced plenty of great moments onstage and in the studio — from record-breaking world tours to surprise releases and everything in between.

Every year we get to do this we feel fortunate to have the opportunity to do something that we love — witness live music. Yet, each one feels a little different than the last and this year certainly had its own unique collection of highlights. We saw Explosions in the Sky make a statement as one of post-rock’s most essential acts, Tool frontman Maynard James Keenan ring in his 60th birthday on the “Sessanta” tour, My Morning Jacket back at The Fillmore for a four-night run of no repeats, DIIV assure us there’s still a future for indie rock and Dawes celebrate the holidays with a brand-new album and star-studded cast of special guests. We also covered our first shows at the state-of-the-art Fox Theater Pomona and legendary Pappy & Harriet’s in Pioneertown much to our delight, with those sort of visceral experiences amounting to more than merely the music we heard there.

But with another year wrapping up and 2025 here very soon, it’s time for us to reveal our annual “Best of” lists as we have done since this blog started more than a decade ago (see our 2023 picks here). As we always say, we will be the first to confess we didn’t attend every show or spin every album that was issued in 2024, but looking in the rearview mirror can be nearly as fun and challenging as when we first started doing this yearly exercise.

So, without further ado, Showbams presents The Bam Team’s five favorite shows, albums and songs from 2024.

Listen to The Bam Team’s favorite songs of 2024:

Sting at BeachLife Festival // Photo by Josh Herwitt

Josh Herwitt // Los Angeles

Top 5 Shows of 2024
1. Pearl Jam at Kia Forum – Los Angeles, CA – May 21st-22nd
What a year it was for one of our all-time favorites acts. The release of Pearl Jam’s 12th studio album Dark Matter in April gave us more than a month to acquaint ourselves with their latest effort before we would see them blow the roof off a sold-out Kia Forum over two consecutive nights. By the end of the second, we were well-satiated thanks to Eddie Vedder and the Hall of Fame band delivering one tour debut after another while also seamlessly mixing in their new material. But the most poignant memory for us came on Night 1 when Vedder broke into Pink Floyd’s “Another Brick in the Wall (Part 2)” at the end of “Daughter” with the crowd seemingly in the palm of his hand. Not only hearing the entire arena sing along to “We don’t need no education / We don’t need no thought control” but also seeing Vedder still command an audience like that at his age gave me chills — the good kind — down my spine that I don’t think I will never forget. All we can say is the power of live music felt very alive (no pun intended) and well in that moment.

2. My Morning Jacket at The Fillmore – San Francisco, CA – May 30th-31st
3. Queens of the Stone Age at Santa Barbara Bowl – Santa Barbara, CA – May 24th
4. LCD Soundsystem at Hollywood Palladium – Los Angeles, CA – November 8th
5. Sting at BeachLife Festival – Redondo Beach, CA – May 3rd

Honorable Mention: slowdive at Fox Theater Pomona – Pomona, CA – April 26th

Top 5 Albums of 2024
1. Pearl Jam – Dark Matter
It has been a long time since PJ uncorked a full length as strong from start to finish as their newest, but when I first heard its lead single that would also serve as the LP’s title track, I could sense something was different this time. Maybe it was Matt Cameron’s drums sitting front and center in the mix or Mike McCready’s electrifying, Hendrix-like guitar solo down the song’s final stretch. Except the more time I spent with Dark Matter, the more I loved not just the singles but all 11 songs. “Waiting For Stevie” has become an instant fan favorite in its relatively short time while others like “Scared of Fear”, Won’t Tell”, “Upper Hand” and “Setting Sun” have been the glue, giving depth to an album that sees Vedder and company not resting on their laurels after more than three decades together. Whether it was working with Grammy-winning producer Andrew Watt or the addition of former Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist Josh Klinghoffer to the songwriting process, Dark Matter sees one of the best rock ‘n’ roll bands in the business continuing to push itself creatively and that has carried over to the stage where Pearl Jam’s epic live shows remain full of raw energy and emotion (see above for more on that).

2. Kendrick Lamar – GNX
3. Jack White – No Name
4. The Smile – Wall of Eyes
5. The Smashing Pumpkins – Aghori Mhori Mei

Favorite Live Album of 2024: The War on Drugs – Live Drugs Again

Top 5 Songs of 2024
1. Kendrick Lamar – “Not Like Us”
After a year in which the Dodgers finally won the World Series fair and square, this only seemed like the right choice for any self-respecting Angeleno like myself. “Not Like Us” compliments of Compton’s finest rapper would not just end up becoming a new anthem for my hometown of LA but the entire West Coast. As he goes down the “rabbit hole” with shrewd and clever wordplay, it’s clear why King Kendrick has sat atop hip-hop’s unofficial throne for a while now and has already cemented himself before the young age of 40 on its Mount Rushmore. What was released as a diss track in a series of them aimed at Drake has turned into so much more six months later, and the Mustard-produced gem continues to resonate for us no matter which side won the highly publicized feud. Because in our minds, it never was really close.

2. Pearl Jam – “Setting Sun”
3. LCD Soundsystem – “x-ray eyes”
4. Jack White – “It’s Rough on Rats (If You’re Asking)”
5. The Smashing Pumpkins – “Edin”

Favorite Soundtrack of 2024: Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross – Challengers (Original Score)

Andrew Pohl // San Francisco

Top 5 Shows of 2024
1. Idles with Protomartyr at Fox Theater Oakland – Oakland, CA – May 10th
My anticipation of seeing Idles for the second time was palpable as I made my way into the Fox. The first time I saw them was at The Fillmore a few years earlier, and it was easily one of the best shows I had EVER seen (and I have been to hundreds of concerts). Once again, they delivered a performance that was not only interactive, but also filled with heart, raw energy and the kind of joy you don’t always see from road dogs like them. Every note seemed to be played with total satisfaction, which you could see on every member’s face throughout the 25-song set.

2. Green Day with The Smashing Pumpkins, Rancid, The Linda Lindas at Oracle Park – San Francisco, CA – September 20th
3. Black Pumas at Fox Theater Oakland – Oakland, CA – February 8th
4. Home Front with Neighborhood Brats, Build Us Airplanes at Bottom of the Hill – San Francisco, CA – December 14th
5. Rich Kids on LSD (RKL) at Bottom of the Hill – San Francisco, CA – May 1st

Top 5 Albums of 2024
1. The Smashing Pumpkins – Aghori Mhori Meiwo
This is the Pumpkins album that I have been wanting to hear since Zeitgeist came out in 2007. Some critics have said in recent years that guitar-focused rock music is “dead” … well, the band’s 13th studio effort has a bone to pick with that sentiment. After several releases that have varied from “questionable” to “just OK,” founding members Billy Corgan, James Iha and Jimmy Chamberlin went back to the basics and laid down a proper LP that every SP fan knew they were capable of making. After all, I always love a good comeback story.

2. The Cure – Songs of a Lost World
3. Alkaline Trio – Blood, Hair, and Eyeballs
4. NØ MAN – Glitter and Spit
5. The Jesus Lizard – Rack

Top 5 Songs of 2024
1. Yard Act – “Dream Job”
With how turbulent the world has been over the past few years, I have been finding myself gravitating toward music that’s a bit more upbeat musically — and this song is a certified infectious banger. Yard Act have this cool way of incorporating clever, oft-dark social commentary into what would otherwise be a tasty dance number, which is part of their charm and why they have blown up since forming in 2019. I kept coming back to this album during 2024, and this was definitely the track that kept my foot tapping.

2. Sammy Kay – “Love Song”
3. The Jukebox Romantics – “Packing Up My Knives”
4. Idles feat. LCD Soundsystem – “Dancer”
5. Jack White – “It’s Rough on Rats (If You’re Asking)”

Rochelle Shipman // Los Angeles

Top 5 Shows of 2024
1. Anderson .Paak & the Free Nationals at Hollywood Bowl – Los Angeles, CA – September 24th
Anderson .Paak pulled out all the stops for a performance of his seminal and (arguably) best album Malibu, bringing out every featured guest from BJ the Chicago Kid and ScHoolboy Q to Rapsody and Talib Kweli. As if that wasn’t enough, he got some help from the GOAT — Dr. Dre himself performing 2001 hits “The Next Episode” and “Still D.R.E.” — to jump start the second set and kept the surprises coming. Plus, the iconic Hollywood Bowl proved to be a stunning setting for the most ethereal evening.

2. Conor Oberst at Teragram Ballroom – Los Angeles, CA – March 7th, 14th, 21st & 28th
3. Something Corporate at Hollywood Palladium – Los Angeles, CA – October 11th
4. Stars at The Fonda Theatre – Los Angeles, CA – October 18th
5. Kate Nash at Teragram Ballroom – Los Angeles, CA – November 2nd

Top 5 Albums of 2024
1. Kendrick Lamar – GNX
For an album that dropped six weeks prior to the end of the year, GNX has been embedded in the fabric of K-Dot fans since Q2. Artfully teasing snippets like lead single “Squabble Up” months before its official release, Kendrick effortlessly reminded the world why “King” fits so naturally into some of his nicknames. Not that he needs any more, but blessing us with a surprise LP full of fiery tracks that keep breaking and setting new records gives him one more lick of proof that no one else is in his lane.

2. Little Simz – Drop 7
3. Yaya Bey – Ten Fold
4. Doechii – Alligator Bites Never Heal
5. Channel Tres – Head Rush

Top 5 Songs of 2024
1. Kendrick Lamar – “Not Like Us”
It feels disingenuous to pick any other song but “Not Like Us” in 2024. Kendrick’s meticulous takedown of Drake was the perfect evil antidote to an industry choking on espresso. “Not Like Us” was the golden middle finger with Lamar penning an impeccable balance between professor and troll, destroying Drake in a way that only a Pulitzer Prize winner could.

2. Little Simz – “Torch”
3. Desert Mambas – “Hot George Costanza”
4. Yaya Bey – “slow dancing in the kitchen”
5. Megan Thee Stallion – “Hiss”

Filed Under: Best of, Best of 2024, Editor's Picks, Featured Tagged With: Alkaline Trio, Anderson .Paak, Anderson .Paak & The Free Nationals, BeachLife Festival, BeachLife Festival 2024, BJ the Chicago Kid, Black Pumas, Bottom of the Hill, Build Us Airplanes, Channel Tres, Conor Oberst, Desert Mambas, DJ Mustard, Doechii, Dr. Dre, Drake, Fox Theater Oakland, Green Day, Hollywood Bowl, Hollywood Palladium, Home Front, IDLES, Jack White, Kate Nash, Kendrick Lamar, Kia Forum, LCD Soundsystem, Little Simz, Megan Thee Stallion, Mustard, My Morning Jacket, NØ MAN, Neighborhood Brats, Oracle Park, Pearl Jam, Protomartyr, Queens of the Stone Age, Rancid, Rapsody, Rich Kids on LSD (RKL), Sammy Kay, Santa Barbara Bowl, Schoolboy Q, Something Corporate, Stars, Sting, Talib Kweli, Teragram Ballroom, The Cure, The Fillmore, The Fonda Theatre, The Jesus Lizard, The Jukebox Romantics, The Linda Lindas, The Police, The Smashing Pumpkins, The Smile, The Teragram Ballroom, Yard Act, Yaya Bey

Phantogram show us at the Santa Barbara Bowl while on tour with Kings of Leon that they are primed to release their fifth album

August 30, 2024 by Josh Herwitt 2 Comments

By Josh Herwitt //

Phantogram //
Santa Barbara Bowl – Santa Barbara, CA
August 26th, 2024 //

It’s always strange when you receive a media credential to cover the opening act of a performance but not the headliner. This was one of those rare instances where our business at a music venue we have covered many headliners at before was to simply focus on the evening’s support.

And even though they are certainly worthy of their own headlining tour after last week’s announcement of a fifth LP, street-beat/psych-pop duo Phantogram are currently making the rounds with Kings of Leon on a 26-date jaunt all across North America that made a stop Monday at the Santa Barbara Bowl.

Sarah Barthel (vocals, keyboards, piano, programming, synthesizers, guitars, production) and Josh Carter (vocals, guitars, programming, synthesizers, drums, percussion, production) are set to drop Memory of a Day on October 18th via Neon Gold Records, but until then, show up early if you are hoping to catch them live.

Their 6:45 p.m. start in Santa Barbara before the sun had even set over the Pacific Ocean, for that matter, still drew a solid turnout despite the 4,562-person amphitheater marking the smallest venue booked for KoL’s current tour.

Barthel’s vocals proved to be just as breathy as we remember them after she stepped onstage in Zebra-patterned shorts, black leather boots and a white top. To her left or stage right, you could see that Carter was dialed into whichever guitar lick he was riffing on during their 45-minute concert.

Of course whenever I have the opportunity to see Phantogram in the flesh, it usually reminds of the time I interviewed Carter more than a decade ago for a feature story right as the New York band was starting to break out and attract larger audiences.

Now a well-oiled machine, Phantogram have also established a loyal following even if their new material such as singles “All a Mystery” and “Happy Again” stray even farther from what KoL offers. Though they might not have been tapped as a co-headliner considering KoL’s stature and overall reach these days, there’s no doubt that putting both acts together has produced one of the best double bills this summer with capacity crowds filling arenas in city after city.

Any excuse to visit the Santa Barbara Bowl is often a good one, but with Phantogram playing we didn’t need much more of a reason to spend the night at one of our favorites places in Southern California to witness live music.

Setlist:
Don’t Move
Fall in Love
All a Mystery
Pedestal
Run Run Blood
Mister Impossible
Happy Again
Answer
Black Out Days
When I’m Small

Filed Under: Editor's Picks, Featured, Photos Tagged With: Kings of Leon, Phantogram, Santa Barbara Bowl

DIIV give us hope at The Wiltern that there’s a future for indie rock

July 5, 2024 by Josh Herwitt 2 Comments

By Josh Herwitt //

DIIV with Lightning Bolt, untitled (halo) //
The Wiltern – Los Angeles
June 29th, 2024 //

For nearly 15 years it’s no secret the music industry has moved farther away from the guitar-driven rock that prevailed through much of the 90’s and early 2000’s. Some have even gone as far to now say “rock is dead,” and while we can point out some of our own experiences from recent memory — including one here — to counter that claim, there have only been a handful of new bands since 2010 that accurately fit the description and have hooked me enough to catch them live.

Australian sextet King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard are one of those acts, and their three-hour marathon at the iconic Hollywood Bowl last summer (read our show review here) was one of our favorite shows in 2023 (see our picks here).

English bass-and-drums duo Royal Blood are another, and their bone-rattling concert at The Wiltern in November (read our show review here) was also a highlight for us last year.

Of course we can’t forget about Houston psych-funk-rock trio Khruangbin, which have continued their ascent with sold-out gigs at some of America’s biggest music venues and events. In fact, we still think about their 2022 appearance on Day 2 of Primavera Sound LA (read our festival review here).

And then there’s “American indie-groove band” Goose, who gave us a chance to finally watch them in the flesh several months ago when they made their Santa Barbara Bowl debut and a compelling case why they have been one of the hottest (jam) bands lately (read our show review here).

Obviously there are supergroups and/or side projects like The Smile, boygenius and The New Basement Tapes as well, while others might argue that bands such as Greta Van Fleet, Hockey Dad, Turnstile, Wet Leg and Viagra Boys have carried the torch forward for the genre (note: IDLES were not mentioned here because they formed back in 2009 along with Alabama Shakes, Atoms for Peace, Broken Bells, Dawes, The Dead Weather, How to Destroy Angels, Rival Sons, Them Crooked Vultures and Wild Nothing).

But standing among some of the best to arrive on the scene in roughly the last decade and a half are DIIV, which began as a solo endeavor for Zachary Cole Smith (lead vocals, guitar) after previous stints as a guitarist in the psych-rock outfit Soft Black and drummer/guitarist for indie rockers Beach Fossils while he was living in Brooklyn.

Smith has relocated to LA since DIIV’s formation, but the group’s sound has remained fairly consistent — dreamy, hazy vocals float on top of gritty, fuzzed-out guitars as they collide with punchy rhythms that immediately evoke comparisons to Modest Mouse, Silversun Pickups, Slowdive and even Explosions in the Sky when we listen. That’s not to say DIIV’s shoegaze-laden soundscapes don’t have their own feel and vibe, though. They very much have their own identity, as Smith’s catchy riffs often pull you in at the start and build up to moments of pure sonic bliss like on “Taker” or “Acheron” that stands as the longest track in the DIIV catalog at more than seven minutes.

Four albums in following the May release of Frog in Boiling Water on Fantasy Records, and the quartet that was a five-piece in the early 2010’s and currently includes Smith’s childhood friend Andrew Bailey (guitar), Colin Caulfield (bass, keyboards, guitar, vocals) and Ben Newman (drums) are no doubt a well-established unit at this point. The 10-track LP anchored by lead single “Brown Paper Bag” has already garnered critical acclaim from quite a few media outlets and fits in nicely with the rest of DIIV’s material, showcasing Smith’s continued growth and evolution as a singer-songwriter. And although we can’t say his overall range behind the microphone has transformed dramatically dating back to 2012’s full-length debut Oshin, Smith does come across more forceful in his delivery on DIIV’s latest studio effort.

Wrapping up the first leg of a 33-date North American tour last Saturday at The Wiltern with Rhode Island noise-rock duo Lightning Bolt and LA’s untitled (halo) providing support, Smith and company delivered plenty of highs from “Doused” to “Blankenship” and yet left us yearning to hear others like “Dopamine” off 2016’s Is the Is Are and “Skin Game” from 2019’s Deceiver. The fact that neither of those are being played was somewhat surprising — even if they aren’t among their Top 5 songs on Spotify — and yet encouraging considering how well we thought their 90-minute performance in LA flowed from one song to the next. DIIV haven’t been mixing up their setlists each night they take the stage, instead sticking to a very similar script so far for their 2024 dates across Europe and the U.S. While that’s something we eventually hope to see from them after another album cycle, the next six months will mark an important stretch for DIIV with their tour schedule extending all the way through December and taking them back to the UK where a couple of sold-out gigs with Irish post-punk band Fontaines D.C. — another one of the rare major post-2010 rock acts to emerge — in London await.

The impending doom and gloom that Smith’s lyrics have been known to address since DIIV’s inception in 2011 don’t exactly anoint them as champions of hope and optimism at a time of great uncertainty and political tension here at home. Frog confronts the “overwhelmingly banal collapse of society under end-stage capitalism,” and with another U.S. presidential election looming that stars a former president and convicted felon, there’s a real cause for concern with the stakes higher than ever. The video interludes — one to advertise DIIV merch, another to introduce their sophomore single on Frog entitled “”Soul-net” and finally a satirical promo for ExxonMobil at the beginning of the encore — sprinkled in throughout the show reminded us of that dark reality, but as Bailey told Zane Lowe during a recent interview for Apple Music: “The message isn’t ‘the world is screwed and there’s nothing we can do.’ It’s more pointing out the fact that the world is screwed and heading toward demise … how do we accept that reality and still turn it into something positive?”

Smith, for one, has faced his own demons and past struggles with substance abuse that we don’t need to get into but has courageously come out on the other side all while continuing to push the boundaries sonically with every DIIV release. Frog, after all, was the first time the band worked democratically with writing credits going to all four members, challenging them individually and testing the strength of their collective bond in ultimately representing “a mesmeric testament to enduring.” For us fans, it’s just one sign of another great band in the making.

Setlist:
In Amber
Like Before You Were Born
Brown Paper Bag
Under the Sun
(Druun Pt. II)
Doused
Reflected
Somber the Drums
Take Your Time
Taker
Raining on Your Pillow
Soul-net
Frog in Boiling Water
Between Tides
Blankenship
Acheron

Encore:
Everyone Out
Horsehead

Filed Under: Editor's Picks, Featured, Live Music Reviews Tagged With: Alabama Shakes, Beach Fossils, Broken Bells, Dawes, DIIV, Fontaines D.C., Greta Van Fleet, Hockey Dad, Hollywood Bowl, How to Destroy Angels, IDLES, King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, Lightning Bolt, Rival Sons, Royal Blood, Santa Barbara Bowl, Soft Black, The Dead Weather, The New Basement Tapes, The Smile, The Wiltern, Them Crooked Vultures, Turnstile, untitled (halo), Viagra Boys, Wet Leg, Wild Nothing

Goose make a compelling case in their Santa Barbara Bowl debut why they’re one of the hottest (jam) bands to catch live right now

October 5, 2023 by Josh Herwitt 2 Comments

By Josh Herwitt //

Goose //
Santa Barbara Bowl – Santa Barbara, CA
September 29th, 2023 //

What is it about jam bands that makes them so polarizing? Is it their penchant for improvisation, their long-running songs or their loyal, dedicated fans?

From the Grateful Dead and The Allman Brothers to Phish, Widespread Panic and many more, a lot of folks I come into contact with either love ’em or hate ’em. Regardless of where you stand on the matter though, the reality is that they have been part of the music ecosystem dating back to the early 60’s and continue to be more than six decades later.

With that in mind, there should be little debate to assert that Phish have stood squarely at the top of the jam-band mountain for the past 30-plus years. The Burlington foursome that formed in the early 80’s at the University of Vermont has taken the torch from the Dead and in their own way kept that fire burning bright, building a unique community of diehards often known for traveling far distances to see them rock out at least three hours each night.

But there’s a new kid on the block now, and even though they might call themselves an “American indie-groove band from Connecticut,” it’s no secret that Goose like to “jam” when they step onstage. Phish’s music, after all, has always been rooted in grooves, and in that regard, it feels like the five-piece named after an Anatidae waterfowl rather than an aquatic animal is certainly paying homage to Trey Anastasio, Jon Fishman, Mike Gordon and Page McConnell with that sort of description for their sonic creations.

For those following closely, the million-dollar question — figuratively and literally — in the jam scene of late has been if Goose are next in line to eventually succeed the almighty Phish. The two groups have already formed a friendly bond, with Anastasio sitting in with Goose last year for the second of two sold-out gigs at Radio City Music Hall that featured a more unexpected cameo appearance by Father John Misty, too.

Yet, it was less than six months after those shows in NYC that Rick Mitarotonda (guitar, vocals), Trevor Weeks (bass, poetry), Ben Atkind (drums), Peter Anspach (keyboards, guitar, vocals) and Jeff Arevalo (percussion, drums, vocals) were touring with Anastasio and his solo project on an eight-date run that offered them even more exposure to Phish’s fan (or should we say “phan”) base.

Every member of Goose, similar to Phish, is an excellent musician. Mitarotonda’s virtuosity and emotive solos are assuredly reminiscent of Anastasio’s at times, and you wouldn’t know that Anspach, a guitarist first and foremost, only started playing keyboards when he signed on as the fourth member of Goose in 2017. The formal training that Mitarotonda, Atkind and Arevalo each received while they were at Berklee College of Music in Boston is quite evident when you watch them perform, but for a band showcasing as much musicianship as Goose, their vocal capabilities are equally impressive. It’s something Mitarotonda has worked very hard at according to Anspach, whom he shares the role of lead vocalist with, and what could ultimately help separate Goose from the pack when you consider that singing hasn’t always been a priority for some musicians in the jam world.

Of course, Goose’s pursuit to not only be an outstanding outfit in the live space but also one that takes the album-making process just as seriously is another side to the quintet that’s refreshing and can’t be overlooked. After 2016’s Moon Cabin sans Anspach and subsequently 2021’s Shenanigans Nite Club, they made such clear when they hired an outside producer for the first time, and their decision to elect D. James Goodwin, who has worked with Bob Weir as well as established indie acts like Kevin Morby and Whitney, proved to be a good (no pun intended) choice for the release of Dripfield in 2022. Goose have made songwriting a priority early on in their ascent, but a smart marketing strategy that saw them gross more than $100,000 during the COVID-19 pandemic by livestreaming eight concerts from a barn in their home state has propelled them rather quickly into the mainstream. In fact, few jam bands have earned the opportunity to perform on late-night television like Goose have.

You could tell by the turnout Goose received at their Santa Barbara Bowl debut — a day before making an inaugural appearance at Ohana Fest and a day after headlining The Wiltern in LA for the first time — they have come a long way in less than a decade. Though the 4,562-seat amphitheater wasn’t sold out, it was mostly full from the GA floor up to the A, B and C sections, a promising sign for any young band on the rise, with chants of “Gooooose” ringing out as the sun set over the Pacific Ocean.

Like any top-notch jam band, Goose craft a unique setlist every time they take the stage with an arsenal of covers at the ready and this outing would be no different. Much of the first set was carried by live cuts of material that has yet to be officially laid down in a recording studio, but Bruce Hornsby & the Range’s “The Way It Is” and Echo & the Bunnymen’s “The Killing Moon” that kicked off the evening’s second set provided everyone at the Bowl with a couple of familiar reference points. Nevertheless, the accessibility and hooks that Dripfield offers listeners are what sets Goose apart from other jam-oriented artists, and as its tracks — “Arrow” and “Hot Tea” plus “So Ready” (an alternate version of “Slow Ready” featuring some auto-tune from Mitarotonda) were what we were treated to in this case — take on their own size and shape under the bright lights, they’re destined to fill a room no matter how big or small it is. So with a European tour lined up next month and a couple of more arena performances before 2023 concludes, there’s no telling how high these guys will be flying by this time next year.

Setlist:
Set 1
Earthling or Alien?
Mr. Action
Time to Flee (with “Honeybee” teases)
The Way It Is (Bruce Hornsby & the Range cover)
Seekers on the Ridge pt. I (>)
Seekers on the Ridge pt. II
So Ready

Set 2
The Killing Moon (Echo & the Bunnymen cover) (>)
Arrow
Same Old Shenanigans
Everything Must Go

Encore:
Hot Tea

Filed Under: Editor's Picks, Featured, Live Music Reviews Tagged With: Berklee College of Music, bob weir, Bruce Hornsby, Bruce Hornsby & the Range, D. James Goodwin, Echo & the Bunnymen, Father John Misty, Goose, grateful dead, Kevin Morby, Phish, Radio City Music Hall, Santa Barbara Bowl, The Allman Brothers, The Allman Brothers Band, The Wiltern, The Wiltern Theatre, Trey Anastasio, Trey Anastasio Band, Whitney, Widespread Panic, Wiltern Theatre

Goldenvoice shares 2023 Coachella sideshows

February 22, 2023 by Josh Herwitt 1 Comment

Love is in the air as it always is during the month of February, and even if you didn’t have someone special to spend Valentine’s Day with — no big deal! — this year, there’s still plenty of live music in California to gush over less than two months from now. Well, that’s because Goldenvoice has once again revealed Coachella’s annual sideshows throughout the greater Los Angeles area.

The three-day, two-weekend music festival will welcome Bad Bunny, BLACKPINK and Frank Ocean as headliners for its 22nd edition this April, and the concert promoter has lined up a good amount of gigs in a span of less than two weeks. Most of the venues hosting will be the same as in years past, but Sound Nightclub will feature the most — a total of seven — this time with The Roxy Theatre, The Novo and the Fox Theater Pomona right behind that count at five each.

While the festivities across SoCal will officially kick off with a surprise when a TBA act takes the stage in Pomona on April 12th, the following acts will also perform inside LA County:

The Breeders (with The Linda Lindas), Momma, Pi’erre Bourne (with AG Club), Remi Wolf (with Lava La Rue), Kyle Watson, Dennis Cruz and Chris Stussy, Bakar, Benee, FKJ, Cannons, Destroy Boys (with Soul Glo and The Murder Capital), Gabriels, Hiatus Kaiyote (with a DJ set by El Michels Affair), Vintage Culture + Colyn, Angèle, Blondie (with The Linda Lindas), Christine and the Queens (with Lewis OfMan), Ethel Cain, Monolink (DJ set), Mura Masa, Overmono, Willow and Yves Tumor, 2ManyDJs (DJ set), Big Wild + Elderbrook, Bratty + Los Bitchos (with Conexión Divina), Donovan’s Yard and Uncle Waffles, Mathame + Cassian, MUNA, Yaeji (with LP Giobbi), John Digweed and Nora En Pure. See the full list of sideshows in the poster above.

Goldenvoice Presents April 2023 🕺 get down desert-style all month long with intimate performances by artists on this year’s Coachella lineup. learn more & enter to win a pair of Coachella passes & tickets to EVERY Goldenvoice Presents April show: https://t.co/qI1Jxhm8Y4 🌵 pic.twitter.com/Hsv4pryPjM

— goldenvoice (@goldenvoice) February 22, 2023

Once again, there will be no special showcase at the Palm Springs Air Museum like there was back in 2017, though this year will see the Greek Theatre get in on the action for the first time when the historic LA amphitheater welcomes Blondie with The Linda Lindas also on the bill. It’s also worth noting that the famed desert music venue Pappy and Harriet’s will not be in the equation for a change after playing a key role previously.

For more than a decade now, Goldenvoice CEO Paul Tollett and his sidekicks have been cashing in off of Coachella more and more with the inclusion of these sideshows. A peak of 62 came in 2017 after 52 were in announced in 2018, and since then the number has dropped considerably with 32 slated for this year, 44 in 2022 and 34 in 2019. It’s safe to say that there’s always an eclectic assortment of both talent and genres, and 2023 will follow suit as the El Rey Theatre welcomes an evening of punk rock courtesy of Destroy Boys that boasts support from Soul Glo and The Murder Capital followed two nights later by Latin-flavored acts Bratty and Los Bitchos.

Other sideshows that deserved to be mentioned include FKJ at the Fox Theater Pomona, Cannons at The Roxy, Hiatus Kaiyote with El Michels Affair (DJ set) at The Novo, 2ManyDJs (DJ set) at The Fonda Theatre and the legendary John Digweed at Sound Nightclub. Meanwhile, the Santa Barbara Bowl will have a couple of top-notch dates of their own not pictured above that includes The Chemical Brothers with Overmono (DJ set) on April 16th and FKJ on April 19th.

Tickets for the sideshows go on sale here this Friday, February 24th at Noon PT over the next three weeks, and fans can also win a pair of Weekend 2 passes to Coachella plus two Golden tickets that grant access to every “Goldenvoice Presents April” show this year. Wishing you all the best of luck!

UPDATE (March 31): Goldenvoice has unveiled who the TBA act will be for Wednesday, April 12th at the Fox Pomona Theater, and it’s none other than boygenius. The indie-rock supergroup comprised of Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers and Lucy Dacus will give fans a taste of their new debut LP The Record, which was released today, before heading to the Empire Polo Club for their Saturday sets at Coachella. Tickets to the show can be purchased here, but you will want to grab them fast before they’re all gone!

Filed Under: Featured, Festivals Tagged With: 2ManyDJs, AG Club, Angèle, Bakar, BENEE, Big Wild, Big Wild + Elderbrook, Blondie, boygenius, BRATTY, BRATTY + Los Bitchos, Cannons, Cassian, Chris Stussy, Christine and the Queens, Coachella, Coachella 2023, Coachella Music and Arts Festival, Coachella Music and Arts Festival 2023, Coachella sideshows, Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival, Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival 2023, Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival 2023, Colyn, Conexión Divina, Dennis Cruz, Dennis Cruz + Chris Stussy, Destroy Boys, Donavan's Yard, El Michels Affair, El Rey, El Rey Theatre, Elderbrook, Ethel Cain, FKJ, Fox Theater Pomona, Gabriels, Goldenvoice Presents April, Goldenvoice Presents April 2023, Greek Theatre, Hiatus Kaiyote, John Digweed, Julien Baker, Kyle Watson, Lava La Rue, Lewis OfMan, Los Bitchos, LP Giobbi, Lucy Dacus, Mathame, Mathame + Cassian, Momma, Monolink, MUNA, Mura Masa, Nora En Pure, Overmono, Pappy & Harriet's, Pappy & Harriet's Pioneertown Palace, Pappy and Harriet's, Pappy and Harriet's Pioneertown Palace, Phoebe Bridgers, Pi'erre Bourne, Remi Wolf, Santa Barbara Bowl, Soul Glo, Sound Nightclub, The Breeders, The Chemical Brothers, The Fonda Theatre, The Glass House, The Linda Lindas, The Murder Capital, The Novo, The Novo DTLA, The Roxy, The Roxy Theatre, Uncle Waffles, Vintage Culture, Willow, Yaeji, Yves Tumor

The Bam Team’s 5 Favorite Shows, Albums & Songs of 2022

December 30, 2022 by The Bam Team 1 Comment

After seeing what the live music industry endured the last two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic, 2022 was certainly a step in the right direction. For many artists and bands, this year marked the first since 2019 that they had the opportunity to step onstage — and that was a victory in and of itself.

While we aren’t completely out of the woods yet considering the coronavirus is still very much a part of our lives, there’s no signs of us returning to those dark and dire days of 2020. The shows simply must go on, and we are all better for it whether you’re a musician or just a fan.

Now as we turn to 2023 with cautious optimism, it’s time for us to share our annual “Best of” lists as we have done since this blog first began (see our 2021 picks here). We’ll be quick to admit we didn’t catch every show or hear all of the albums released in the past 12 months, but looking back on the year that was can not only be fun but also challenging with so much great music to consider.

So, without further ado, Showbams presents The Bam Team’s five favorite shows, albums and songs from 2022.

Listen to The Bam Team’s favorite songs of 2022:

Tool at Viejas Arena // Photo by Josh Herwitt

Josh Herwitt // Los Angeles

Top 5 Shows of 2022
1. My Morning Jacket at Red Rocks Amphitheatre – Morrison, CO – August 26th-27th
2022 will go down as easily one of my favorite years for live music. So many of the artists and bands I love toured after being forced to sit on the sidelines for at least two years, and as I look back on all of the shows I was fortunate enough to witness, it would be a shame to not mention the ones that aren’t already included here, whether it was Eddie Vedder, Baroness, Royal Blood, Interpol and The Shins at Just Like Heaven, Jack White (two nights), The Kills, Puscifer on my big day, Fleet Foxes, Big Gigantic Telefon Tel Aviv, Moderat, Khruangbin and Arctic Monkeys — plus Lorde — at the debut of Primavera Sound LA, The Mars Volta, Bonobo, Foals, Modest Mouse performing The Lonesome Crowded West from start to finish to celebrate the LP’s 25th anniversary or The Smile closing out their North America tour. But this year’s No. 1 spot once again goes to My Morning Jacket, which have become my top live band over the last decade among some very stiff competition (see the rest of the bands listed below to get a better idea). With back-to-back dates in SoCal at the Santa Barbara Bowl and Hollywood Forever (read our review here) serving as a preview for what would come the following week, the Louisville-bred rockers left no stone unturned in their return to Red Rocks. If there was ever an act to catch — not once but twice — at the legendary amphitheater after visiting it more than a dozen times in my life so far, this was the one for me and MMJ proved it over two sold-out gigs with no repeats as always.

2. The War on Drugs at Shrine Auditorium – Los Angeles, CA – February 26th
3. Pearl Jam at The Forum – Inglewood, CA – May 6th
4. Tool at Viejas Arena – San Diego, CA – January 19th
5. Nine Inch Nails at Santa Barbara Bowl – Santa Barbara, CA – September 13th

Top 5 Albums of 2022
1. The Smile – A Light for Attracting Attention
It wasn’t until last year during a surprise performance for the concert video “Live at Worthy Farm” when we first learned of the latest side project from Radiohead members Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood with Sons of Kemet drummer Tom Skinner. But after putting out six singles off their debut LP that came out back in May, it was clear the three-piece wasn’t messing around. Across all 13 tracks on A Light for Attracting Attention, it’s safe to say there isn’t one worth skipping, reaffirming why Yorke remains one of the best songwriters out there in the last 30 years. And with him and Greenwood switching off between guitar, bass and synthesizer among a bevy of other instrumentation including vocoder, piano and harp, their talents are as palpable as they have ever been before. After all, hearing Yorke croon “Don’t mess with me” toward the beginning of “The Smoke” is an edict — literal or not — many would have a tough time disputing at this point.

2. Kendrick Lamar – Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers
3. Jack White – Fear of the Dawn
4. My Morning Jacket – MMJ Live Vol. 2: Chicago 2021
5. Bonobo – Fragments

Top 5 Songs of 2022
1. The Mars Volta – “Graveyard Love”
For fans of The Mars Volta, it has been a long wait since Omar Rodríguez-López and Cedric Bixler-Zavala hit the studio to record new material. Even with the project’s two constant members on good terms these days, it took more than a decade before anything would enter our earholes. But despite many of the prog-rock tendencies it demonstrated on earlier albums dating all the way back to 2003’s seminal De-Loused in the Comatorium, the duo’s seventh studio effort delves unexpectedly into new sonic territory. With a pop aesthetic running through it that surprisingly sees no song surpass the five-minute mark, The Mars Volta will undoubtedly be looked at as a departure from the days of “Cygnus…Vismund Cygnus” and “Cassandra Gemini” when Rodríguez-López and Bixler-Zavala were captivating At the Drive-In fans as well as new listeners. Nevertheless, its second single “Graveyard Love” stands tall as some of their best work to date and reminds us that these guys haven’t lost what made them so uniquely special.

2. The Smile – “Thin Thing”
3. Jack White – “Eosophobia”
4. Interpol – “Toni”
5. Moderat – “EASY PREY”

Andrew Pohl // San Francisco

Top 5 Shows of 2022
1. Yard Act at Rickshaw Stop – San Francisco, CA – April 21st
Funny story about this show … I had been hearing a lot of buzz about Yard Act, and I had only listened to one song played a few times on KEXP, which I really dug. I had been on the Rickshaw Stop’s email list, and the venue ran a contest for free tickets. I happened to win so I took a chance and opted to see Yard Act’s show that same week. Wanting to familiarize myself with their material more, I immediately dove head first into their album and was totally hooked, so I felt really good about this turn of events. I hadn’t been to a gig at Rickshaw Stop in many years and was eager to visit again, so it felt great to be back in a packed room again for an intimate evening of punk rock. The opening act Buzzed Light Beer fell a bit flat in my humble opinion, but once Yard Act took the stage, the room started buzzing with life. Lead singer James Smith’s command of the crowd is very nonchalant, but he also knows he has you hanging on every word. The set was fun and well-executed, and the UK quartet was clearly on its “A” game after a lengthy run of shows and in between weekend performances at Coachella. Much to the chagrin of those in attendance, Smith kept referring to the audience as “San Diego” (LOL), though he did tell us that he had some mushrooms the night before, so … you know. To round things out, Smith offered to do a magic trick during the last song of Yard Act’s set before their encore and coaxed fans to hand over any loose bills they had, which he pocketed and took backstage. As it turns out, he actually gifted the money to the bar staff, which I felt was a nice touch and very much on-brand.

2. THE FEST 20 – Gainesville, FL – October 28th–30th
3. Coheed & Cambria at Greek Theatre Berkeley – Berkeley, CA – August 14th
4. Bauhaus at The Masonic – San Francisco, CA – May 22nd
5. The Velvet Teen at Arlene Francis Center – Santa Rosa, CA – June 17th

Top 5 Albums of 2022
1. Pilot to Gunner – Hail Hallucinator
Brooklyn indie rockers Pilot to Gunner hadn’t put out an album for a decade, and to be honest, I hadn’t really paid much attention to them prior to Hail Hallucinator. The name was always out there and I had friends who were really into them, but I never got around to checking out their music for one reason or another. And not unlike many other bands that came before them (i.e. Seaweed, Far, The Murder City Devils), I am bummed that I was so late to the party. They are absolutely fantastic, and this record was easily my most listened-to during 2022. From start to finish, the 10-track LP hit all the marks for me in terms of stellar songwriting, original-sounding guitar work that still feels familiar and vocals carrying the torch of the early 2000’s indie/emo revival sound ala Hey Mercedes and Jimmy Eat World all while not completely aping either group. “Drop the Sun”, “We’re Blasting to Masses”, “Total Rager” and “Escape Season” are among its best tracks, but I simply love all of them from beginning to end.

2. Thee Sacred Souls – Thee Sacred Souls
3. Yard Act – The Overload
4. Soul Glo – Diaspora Problems
5. High Vis – Blending

Top 5 Songs of 2022
1. 3rd Secret – “I Choose Me”
The supergroup 3rd Secret surprised the music world when their debut self-titled LP arrived in mid-April. Comprised of members from Nirvana, Soundgarden, Hater and Giants in the Trees, the album is a tour de force brought to you by grunge and alt-rock royalty. Its lead single “I Choose Me” turns things up and right out of the gate you can’t help but feel a little washed over with nostalgia from guitarist Kim Thayil’s signature riffage in addition to the thundering cadence courtesy of bassist Krist Novoselic and drummer Matt Cameron. What makes the song — and the album — stand out to me, however, is the work of co-vocalists Jillian Raye and Jennifer Johnson. The pair deliver gorgeous singing atop the otherwise gritty instrumentation, harkening back to what made so many 90’s albums awesome with a beautiful balance of dark and light. I kept coming back to this song a lot throughout the year, and it made me really reflect on just how incredible the music that came out of the Pacific Northwest was when I was growing up. To hear this collection of musicians conjuring up those aural ghosts through a contemporary filter was not only refreshing, but also something that I was really looking for in 2022.

2. Yard Act – “The Overload”
3. Thee Sacred Souls – “Can I Call You Rose?”
4. Cave In – “New Reality”
5. High Vis – “0151”

Animal Collective at Greek Theatre // Photo by Rochelle Shipman

Rochelle Shipman // Los Angeles

Top 5 Shows of 2022
1. PUP at The Fonda Theatre – Los Angeles, CA – April 21st
Two years and one full length after this show was originally supposed to occur, LA finally got to see PUP perform on their “Thank Fucking God” tour. Worth the wait would be a major understatement here as the Canadian punks transported us back to pre-pandemic times like nothing had ever happened — we were touching, we were screaming, we were moshing again! The night had such an innocent air to it. Despite the delay, 2019’s Morbid Stuff felt fresher than ever (and it still does).

2. Yaya Bey at Cafe Erzulie – Brooklyn, NY – June 16th
3. Animal Collective at Greek Theatre – Los Angeles, CA – May 20th
4. Vince Staples at The Fonda Theatre – Los Angeles, CA – August 23rd
5. Bright Eyes at Greek Theatre – Los Angeles, CA – June 23rd

Top 5 Albums of 2022
1. Lando Chill – if im being honest
The multi-hyphenate who’s based out of LA quietly dropped this mixtape early in the year, and it stood strong in my top spot from the start. With a sharp wit and silky delivery, Chill tears through pages of his diary without cutting a single corner. Thank God for vulnerability.

2. Smino – Luv 4 Rent
3. Pusha T – It’s Almost Dry
4. Yaya Bey – Remember Your North Star
5. Open Mike Eagle – Component System with the Auto Reverse

Top 5 Songs of 2022
1. Steve Lacy – “Bad Habit”
An earworm for the ages! This impossibly catchy tune took over TikTok and catapulted Mr. Lacy into the spotlight that he was born to occupy, whether he was ready for it or not. The cherry on top of his banner year was the singer-songwriter’s old iPhone (aka his instrument) landing on display in the Smithsonian.

2. Lando Chill – “guess”
3. Leggy – “Lipstick on the Mic”
4. Pusha T – “Brambleton”
5. Channel Tres – “Acid in My Blood”

Filed Under: Best of, Best of 2022, Editor's Picks, Featured Tagged With: 3rd Secret, Animal Collective, Arctic Monkeys, Arlene Francis Center, At the Drive-In, Baroness, Bauhaus, Big Gigantic, Bonobo, Bright Eyes, Buzzed Light Beer, Cafe Erzulie, Cave In, Channel Tres, Coachella, Coachella 2022, Coachella Music and Arts Festival, Coachella Music and Arts Festival 2022, Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival, Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival 2022, Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival 2022, Coheed & Cambria, Eddie Vedder, Far, Fleet Foxes, FOALS, Giants in the Trees, Greek Theatre, Greek Theatre Berkeley, Hater, Hey Mercedes, High Vis, Hollywood Forever, Interpol, Jack White, Jimmy Eat World, Jonny Greenwood, Just Like Heaven, Just Like Heaven 2022, Kendrick Lamar, Khruangbin, Lando Chill, Leggy, Moderat, Modest Mouse, My Morning Jacket, Nine Inch Nails, Nirvana, Open Mike Eagle, Peaches, Pearl Jam, Pilot To Gunner, Primavera Sound LA, Primavera Sound LA 2022, Primavera Sound Los Angeles, Primavera Sound Los Angeles 2022, Pup, Puscifer, Pusha T, Radiohead, Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Rickshaw Stop, Royal Blood, Santa Barbara Bowl, Seaweed, Shrine Auditorium, Smino, Smithsonian, Soul Glo, Soundgarden, Steve Lacy, Telefon Tel Aviv, THE FEST 20, The Fonda Theatre, The Forum, The Kills, The Mars Volta, The Masonic, The Murder City Devils, The Shins, The Smile, The Velvet Teen, The War on Drugs, Thee Sacred Souls, Thom Yorke, Tool, Trent Reznor, Viejas Arena, Viejas Arena at Aztec Bowl, Vince Staples, Yard Act, Yaya Bey, YouTube Theater

New music or not, Nine Inch Nails are still commanding sold-out crowds at the Santa Barbara Bowl & beyond in 2022

September 14, 2022 by Josh Herwitt 2 Comments

By Josh Herwitt //

Nine Inch Nails with Yves Tumor //
Santa Barbara Bowl – Santa Barbara, CA
September 13th, 2022 //

If there was ever a time in his long and illustrious career when Trent Reznor had seemingly little left to prove, it would be now.

After all, the 57-year-old Nine Inch Nails mastermind who formed the project more than three decades ago while working as an assistant engineer and janitor at Right Track Studios in Cleveland has racked up nearly every accolade for his music, from Grammys and Oscars to Emmys and even a CMA Award, with only a Tony standing in his way of EGOT status.

But aside from the latest two installments of the soundtrack-oriented Ghosts at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, it has already been a few years since NIN released new material after the six-track Bad Witch arrived in 2018 and the now-Hall of Fame band embarked upon its “Cold and Black and Infinite” tour across North America that concluded with Reznor and company playing a whopping six nights at the Hollywood Palladium with anything in the NIN catalog on the table thanks to a more stripped-down stage production of mostly smoke and lights the industrial-rock act is still currently showcasing.

So when NIN announced in February a limited number of dates for 2022, there was a sense among fans — or at least this one right here — that new music would be imminent at some point this year. Reznor, in fact, had actually hinted at the 2021 Academy Awards that there was more to come from NIN, though we have yet to hear any since then.

That certainly hasn’t mattered when it comes to NIN’s ticket sales, however. Outside of a few festival appearances that includes a headlining performance at Primavera Sound LA this Saturday, just about every show this year has been sold out and things were no different on Tuesday when Reznor’s outfit returned to the Santa Barbara Bowl for the first time since 2009.

The 4,562-seat amphitheater continues to be one of our favorite places in California — if not the entire country — to catch a concert, and despite the coastal city’s music scene being a bit more laidback than LA’s, you wouldn’t have known it by the time NIN stormed onstage shortly after Yves Tumor wrapped up his opening set.

With the outdoor venue’s strict 10 p.m. curfew always at play, there was no time to spare for Reznor, Atticus Ross, Robin Finck, Alessandro Cortini and Ilan Rubin, and the five-piece made the most of its one-hour, 45-minute gig with deep cuts like “Last” and “Heresy” preceding setlist staples that featured “March of the Pigs”, “Piggy” and “Closer” from The Downward Spiral as well as “The Perfect Drug”, the 1997 cut on the “Lost Highway” soundtrack that only made its live debut in 2018 but has already been played 30 more times thanks to Rubin’s thunderous ambidexterity on the drum kit.

Of course, we would be remiss to not also mention the high energy of “Reptile” and a groovy cover of David Bowie’s haunting single “I’m Afraid of Americans” as other highlights before being punched in the mouth by the trifecta of “Gave Up”, “The Hand That Feeds” and “Head Like a Hole” leading into a brief encore break. Yet, it was the penultimate “Even Deeper” off The Fragile that truly put us on cloud nine for the rest of the evening and reminded us that with or without new songs, we’re all lucky to still have NIN filling our earholes after wondering eight years ago if we would ever see them perform live again.

NINE INCH NAILS

Setlist:
Mr. Self Destruct
Wish
Last
March of the Pigs
Piggy
The Lovers
The Frail
The Wretched
Reptile
God Break Down the Door
Copy of A
Closer (with “The Only Time” breakdown)
This Isn’t the Place
Heresy
The Perfect Drug
I’m Afraid of Americans (David Bowie cover)
Gave Up
The Hand That Feeds
Head Like a Hole

Encore:
Even Deeper (preceded by band introductions)
Hurt

YVES TUMOR

Setlist:
Jackie
Gospel for a New Century
Medicine Burn
Operator (with “Be Aggressive” chant)
Cntra
Kerosene!
Romanticist
Dream Palette
Mtora
…And Loyalty Is a Nuisance Child
Secrecy Is Incredibly Important to the Both of Them

Filed Under: Editor's Picks, Featured, Live Music Reviews Tagged With: COVID-19 Pandemic, Hollywood Palladium, Lost Highway, Nine Inch Nails, Primavera Sound LA, Primavera Sound LA 2022, Santa Barbara Bowl, Trent Reznor, Yves Tumor

Ahead of their Red Rocks shows, My Morning Jacket are firing on all cylinders after rocking the Santa Barbara Bowl & Hollywood Forever

August 22, 2022 by Josh Herwitt 2 Comments

My Morning Jacket - Hollywood Forever Cemetery

My Morning Jacket at Hollywood Forever Cemetery

By Josh Herwitt //

My Morning Jacket //
Santa Barbara Bowl & Hollywood Forever Cemetery – Santa Barbara & Los Angeles
August 16th & 17th, 2022 //

When My Morning Jacket made the “deeply painful” decision to cancel their three-night New Year’s run at the Mission Ballroom in Denver last year with the COVID-19 pandemic still wreaking havoc thanks to the rise of the omicron variant, it was a gut punch for the Louisville rockers and their most diehard fans, many of whom were traveling from out of state to see them.

But more than six weeks later, the five-piece would announce its 2022 tour encompassing 33 dates with most of the venues booked, not surprisingly, being at outdoor amphitheaters and/or open spaces with a lawn. Keeping everyone’s safety in mind has always been the band’s priority first and foremost, and with the spring and summer bringing us the warmest months of the year, there was no way MMJ were going to further risk experiencing any cancellations during what we’ve dubbed as “outdoor concert season.”

And yet even with all the precautions that had been taken by everyone, it still wasn’t enough to prevent more COVID misfortune when frontman Jim James tested positive in June, just a day before the band’s two hometown shows — its first in six years — were scheduled to take place. While the news had MMJ fans once again feeling bummed about the state of live music after the last two-plus years, James (lead vocals, guitar) and his bandmates in Tom Blankenship (bass), Patrick Hallahan (drums, percussion), Bo Koster (keyboards, percussion, backing vocals) and Carl Broemel (guitar, pedal steel guitar, saxophone, backing vocals) have certainly put that behind them now after taking more than a month off from touring during July and part of August.

Believe it or not, MMJ in many ways sound better than they ever have after witnessing two of their three performances in California, starting with a return to the Santa Barbara Bowl last Tuesday only 11 months after their last visit (read our show review here) and continuing the following night in LA among the many celebrities now deceased — even “Toto” from the “Wizard of Oz” — at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery.

James, for one, has always sounded great at the mic and with a guitar in his hands, but he’s also never looked more at ease onstage despite his recent bout with the virus, shedding the big pair of sunglasses he once donned (as you can see here) for the naked eye — a clear sign that MMJ’s primary songwriter isn’t hiding from us if he ever was trying to previously.

My Morning Jacket at Santa Barbara Bowl

Arriving in Santa Barbara two days after making a stop at Frost Amphitheater on the campus of Stanford University, the clock hit 7:30 p.m. and MMJ went to work, diving straight into their self-titled LP that came out last October with “Never in the Real World”. James and company didn’t wait long at all to turn up the volume, however, with “Lay Low” subsequently sending the crowd into a frenzy early on. The six-minute track off 2005’s seminal Z has always been a personal favorite of mine to hear live and would quickly set the tone for the rest of the evening.

For a band that has always put an emphasis on mixing up its setlists and will rarely perform songs in the same order though, it was a couple of cuts on its debut album The Tennessee Fire that were surprising to hear midway through its standard 2 1/2-hour set. In fact, it was the first time this year — and just the fifth over the last five years — that MMJ have played “I Will Be There When You Die” while the acoustic “If All Else Fails” has been heard on solely a handful of occasions so far in 2022.

While other highlights in Santa Barbara included an extended version of “Steam Engine” with Broemel trading his axe for the sax at one point and just the third time “I Never Could Get Enough” has made it onto a setlist, it was the Hollywood show that grabbed more of the MMJ fanbase’s attention. Of course, the heightened interest around it was somewhat understandable considering that it’s not every day you get to catch a concert inside a cemetery, let alone one where rock icons like Johnny Ramone and Chris Cornell are buried, but the setting was, at most, half the story on The Fairbanks Lawn as day eventually turned to night.

Breathing life into “What a Wonderful Man” and James’ own “State of the Art (A.E.I.O.U.)” for only the second time this year and first since the jam-adjacent group’s three-day “One Big Holiday” destination event back in March, we had hoped that MMJ would be setting up for a special finish down the stretch and that’s exactly what they gifted us with a 17-minute “Dondante” that conjured up some major disco vibes. With the Z finale serving as one of several tunes MMJ has been known to stretch out when they perform live, it felt rather fitting to hear what James wrote after the passing of his late bandmate Aaron Todovich while being surrounded by a bunch of tombstones.

Even though MMJ had more music lined up for us before hitting the road for New Mexico, that was all many of us needed to hear to be satisfied. After waiting almost a decade for another “Dondante” in LA since their epic, three-night run at The Wiltern, everything else that ensued — from the one-two punch of “Wasted” and “Dancefloors” to a more abbreviated encore featuring “Wordless Chorus” and “Touch Me I’m Going to Scream Pt. 2” that ended things on a spooky note — was gravy. After all, this is an act that has always kept its fans on their toes, and as MMJ gear up this weekend for their most significant shows of the tour with two sold-out nights at Red Rocks Amphitheatre, there’s no telling what’s in store when James steps into what he has coined “the birth canal of the universe.” Call it whatever you want Mr. James because either way, we’ll be there for it when the lights go down and the first note is struck.

SANTA BARBARA BOWL – AUGUST 16TH

Setlist:
Never in the Real World
Lay Low
Compound Fracture
Least Expected
Mahgeetah
Feel You
Victory Dance
Gideon
Holdin On to Black Metal
I Will Be There When You Die
If All Else Fails
Tropics (Erase Traces)
Spring (Among the Living)
Steam Engine
I Never Could Get Enough
Touch Me I’m Going to Scream Pt. 1
Love Love Love
Complex
One Big Holiday

Encore:
In Color
Circuital
Touch Me I’m Going to Scream Pt. 2
Wordless Chorus

HOLLYWOOD FOREVER CEMETERY – AUGUST 17TH

Setlist:
Feel You
What a Wonderful Man
Off the Record
I Will Sing You Songs
Victory Dance
Evil Urges
Golden (dedicated to “Toto” from “The Wizard of Oz”)
I’m Amazed
Spring (Among the Living)
Complex
One Big Holiday
State of the Art (A.E.I.O.U.) (Jim James song)
Love Love Love
Least Expected
Circuital
Dondante
Wasted
Dancefloors

Encore:
Wordless Chorus
Touch Me I’m Going to Scream Pt. 2

My Morning Jacket at Hollywood Forever Cemetery

Filed Under: Editor's Picks, Featured, Live Music Reviews Tagged With: Chris Cornell, Frost Amphitheater, Hollywood Forever, Hollywood Forever Cemetery, Jim James, Johnny Ramone, Joy Oladokun, Mission Ballroom, My Morning Jacket, One Big Holiday, Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Santa Barbara Bowl, Soundgarden, The Ramones, The Wiltern

The Bam Team’s 5 Favorite Shows, Albums & Songs of 2021

December 28, 2021 by The Bam Team 3 Comments

The past 12 months have been interesting to say the least. While the COVID-19 pandemic continues to rage across the world after almost two years, 2021 did prove to be a little better than its predecessor on the calendar and a big reason for that was undoubtedly the return of live music during the second half of this year. For so many of us after being locked down at home, just having the chance to attend a concert or festival in person again provided some sense of normalcy to our everyday lives.

But as we look forward to hopefully better days in 2022, it’s time for us to unveil our annual “Best of” lists like we have done since this blog first began (see our 2020 picks here). No, we didn’t have time to catch every show or hear all of the albums released in the last 365 days, but forcing ourselves to make difficult decisions can be a fun exercise that helps us reflect on the year in music before turning the page.

So, without further ado, Showbams presents The Bam Team’s five favorite shows, albums and songs from 2021.

Listen to The Bam Team’s favorite songs of 2021:

My Morning Jacket (Jim James) at Santa Barbara Bowl

My Morning Jacket at Santa Barbara Bowl // Photo by Josh Herwitt

Josh Herwitt // Los Angeles

Top 5 Shows of 2021
1. My Morning Jacket at Santa Barbara Bowl – Santa Barbara, CA – September 23rd
Almost six years had passed since the last time Jim James and company performed at one of Southern California’s best music venues, but after surviving 18 months without witnessing any live music, the wait for MMJ’s return to the stage felt even longer. Fortunately for us, the Louisville-bred quintet brought its A game to kick off a string of West Coast dates and powered through a collection of 23 songs at the Santa Barbara Bowl that included the emotive “In Color” off the band’s new self-titled album as well as “Where to Begin” from the “Elizabethtown” soundtrack. MMJ have earned a reputation over the years as one of the best live acts still out there, and they certainly validated that claim with a 2.5-hour performance that made the 90-mile drive from LA on a weeknight totally worth it.

2. Modest Mouse at The Theatre at Ace Hotel – Los Angeles, CA – September 25th
3. Caribou at Greek Theatre – Los Angeles, CA – November 15th
4. Lord Huron at Hollywood Forever – Los Angeles, CA – September 30th
5. Primus “A Tribute to Kings” at Greek Theatre – Los Angeles, CA – October 17th

Top 5 Albums of 2021
1. The War on Drugs – I Don’t Live Here Anymore
What can we say about Adam Granduciel that hasn’t already been said? After composing and producing The War on Drugs’ best material during his previous two trips into the studio with the latter effort winning a Grammy, we knew it would be tough for the Philadelphia native to match that same level of excellence attained in 2014 and 2017 with Lost in the Dream and A Deeper Understanding. And though I Don’t Live Here Anymore doesn’t quite get there, it marks another LP from Granduciel and his cohorts that you can listen straight through from start to finish without skipping a track. Because in an era when our attention spans have been shrunk thanks in large part to technology, that’s something we should all applaud.

2. Modest Mouse – The Golden Casket
3. DARKSIDE – Spiral
4. My Morning Jacket – My Morning Jacket
5. Royal Blood – Typhoons

Top 5 Songs of 2021
1. Royal Blood – “Boilermaker”
The English alt-rock duo comprised of lead singer/bassist Mike Kerr and drummer Ben Thatcher shared “Boilermaker” in the lead-up to releasing its third full length this year, and the promotional single certainly stands out from the pack as one of the best songs on Typhoons. Produced by Queens of the Stone Age leader Josh Homme, it opens with Kerr’s fuzzed-out riff and quickly builds into a head-banging anthem over the course of three and a half minutes. If you haven’t heard it before, just make sure to also check out the badass music video that’s directed by and stars Liam Lynch. Enjoy!

2. My Morning Jacket – “In Color”
3. Modest Mouse – “Walking and Running”
4. The War on Drugs – “I Don’t Wanna Wait”
5. Bonobo – “Rosewood”

Favorite remix: Four Tet – “Never Come Back” (Caribou)

Andrew Pohl // San Francisco

Top 5 Shows of 2021
1. Kowloon Walled City at The Golden Bull – Oakland, CA – November 30th
Regardless of the fact that I didn’t go to many shows this year, this would have likely been my No. 1 even if I went to more. I had only recently been turned on to Kowloon Walled City, but I was immediately drawn to their heavy sound and they proved to replicate that sonic fury live. The Golden Bull is a nice, intimate setting for live music, and the fact that KWC were able to dial in such a balanced sound at a small club made a huge difference given how BIG they sound on their studio albums. Everyone was fixated on the band throughout its entire set, and I barely noticed anyone looking at a phone — one of the modern-day signs of a great show.

2. Quicksand at Great American Music Hall – San Francisco, CA – October 15th
3. Bad Religion & Alkaline Trio at The Masonic – San Francisco, CA – November 24th
4. The Slackers & The Aggrolites at Cornerstone Berkeley – Berkeley, CA – December 9th
5. Lagwagon with Red City Radio & Decent Criminal at Bottom of the Hill – San Francisco, CA – November 4th

Top 5 Albums of 2021
1. Quicksand – Distant Populations
During a turbulent time like what we’ve all been collectively experiencing since last year, I think this album resonated with me so much because Quicksand has always been such a solid standby. Distant Populations is heavy in all of the right ways without being abrasive while also effectively showcasing Walter Schreifels’ dynamic song-crafting abilities. Quicksand aren’t necessarily breaking the mold here, but they’re a band that had already set the bar high with their earlier albums and this LP is an excellent continuation of their contribution to the hardcore scene.

2. Turnstile – Glow On
3. IDLES – Crawler
4. Kowloon Walled City – Piecework
5. Snail Mail – Valentine

Top 5 Songs of 2021
1. IDLES – “The Wheel”
I love how IDLES have the ability to take a song about a heavy subject like chemical dependency and turn it into an absolutely infectious banger. “The Wheel” is a perfect example of this, leaving you drawn in and tapping your foot while giving you something to ponder. The way that it can make you feel equal parts uplifted and uncomfortable is part of the appeal to me, and this was easily one of my most played songs of the year.

2. Decent Criminal – “Reap”
3. The Dirty Nil – “Doom Boy”
4. Kills Birds – “Rabbit”
5. Snail Mail – “Valentine”

Adam Schatz at The Gold Room // Photo by Rochelle Shipman

Rochelle Shipman // Los Angeles

Top 5 Shows of 2021
1. Adam Schatz at The Gold Room – Los Angeles, CA – November 18th
The Landlady frontman actually served as the opener on this night, but armed with little more than his saxophone, keyboards and loops, it’s safe to say Schatz stole the entire show. Fresh off a tour playing with Japanese Breakfast, he stepped onstage and quite literally let loose. It was the most refreshing, freeform, organic set full of wit and wonder, offering a sharp reminder why we need to protect the live music space (and to buy the killer album Landlady put out this year, too).

2. Foxx Bodies with Suzie True & Lando Chill at Resident DTLA – Los Angeles, CA – November 7th
3. Islands at Lodge Room – Los Angeles, CA – September 9th
4. Spoon at Teragram Ballroom – Los Angeles, CA – September 28th
5. Armand Hammer & The Alchemist at Echoplex – Los Angeles, CA – September 19th

Top 5 Albums of 2021
1. Foxx Bodies – Vixen
The raw emotions that come through Foxx Bodies’ debut on indie label Kill Rock Stars grabbed me by the ankles and knocked me off my feet the first time I heard it. For an album that explores everything from mental illness, sexual abuse, eating disorders, gender fluidity and beyond, it’s equally shocking how upbeat and uplifting it comes off. It’s part empowering riot grrrl and part rollicking surf punk, full confessional. Trigger warning: it will change your life.

2. Olivia Rodrigo – Sour
3. Tyler, the Creator – Call Me If You Get Lost
4. Backxwash – I LIE HERE BURIED WITH MY RINGS AND MY DRESSES
5. Noga Erez – KIDS

Top 5 Songs of 2021
1. Hiatus Kaiyote – “Red Room”
This song is the antithesis to 2021. It’s so warm and beautiful, so intimate as though it was conceived in a world where social distancing doesn’t even exist. Nai Palm’s soft, raspy vocals envelop you, and the uncharacteristically subtle sounds (for Hiatus Kaiyote) deliver perhaps the most consistent semblance of peace felt this year.

2. Olivia Rodrigo – “Brutal”
3. Foxx Bodies – “BPD”
4. Yaya Bey – “fxck it then”
5. Little Simz feat. Cleo Sol – “Woman”

Favorite remix: Kari Faux feat. J.I.D – “While God Was Sleepin’… (Remix)”

Filed Under: Best of, Best of 2021, Editor's Picks, Featured Tagged With: A Tribute to Kings, Ace Hotel, Adam Schatz, Alkaline Trio, Armand Hammer, Backxwash, Bad Religion, Best of 2021, Bonobo, Bottom of the Hill, Caribou, Cleo Sol, Cornerstone Berkeley, Darkside, Decent Criminal, Echoplex, Four Tet, Foxx Bodies, Golden Bull, Great American Music Hall, Greek Theatre, Hiatus Kaiyote, Hollywood Forever, Hollywood Forever Cemetery, IDLES, Islands, J.I.D., Japanese Breakfast, Kari Faux, Kills Birds, Kowloon Walled City, Lagwagon, Landlady, Lando Chill, Little Simz, Lodge Room, Lord Huron, Modest Mouse, My Morning Jacket, Noga Erez, Olivia Rodrigo, Primus, Quicksand, Red City Radio, Resident DTLA, Royal Blood, Rush, Santa Barbara Bowl, Snail Mail, Spoon, Suzie True, Teragram Ballroom, The Aggrolites, The Alchemist, The Dirty Nil, The Gold Room, The Golden Bull, The Masonic, The Slackers, The Teragram Ballroom, The Theatre at Ace Hotel, The War on Drugs, Turnstile, Tyler the Creator, Yaya Bey

My Morning Jacket spotlight the long-awaited return of live music to SoCal with a powerful performance at the Santa Barbara Bowl

September 28, 2021 by Josh Herwitt 3 Comments

By Josh Herwitt //

My Morning Jacket with Durand Jones & The Indications //
Santa Barbara Bowl – Santa Barbara, CA
September 23rd, 2021 //

The past 18 months have been hard to say the least. No matter how you’re feeling at this moment in time, the COVID-19 pandemic has undeniably created additional issues and stressors for many folks while also taking away some of the things we enjoy most about life.

And for those of us who love live music, its absence has been quite a blow to the psyche.

If anything, being locked down at home for more than a year has only made us long for the thrill of watching an artist or band command an audience’s attention and completely mesmerize its fans.

Yet with so much uncertainty still in the world, it’s almost surreal to think that concerts have finally made their return. Yes, you’ll need to offer proof of your COVID-19 vaccination status or a negative test within 48-72 hours, but it sure beats tuning into another livestream from your couch.

So when My Morning Jacket announced a 23-date jaunt across the U.S. for the second half of 2021 that included a stop at the always-exquisite Santa Barbara Bowl where we caught them nearly six years ago (read our review here), I knew that was one show I couldn’t miss and boy, am I glad that I didn’t.

The Louisville-bred rockers are back on the road touring in support of their forthcoming self-titled LP — and ninth studio album — this October after releasing The Waterfall II in 2020, and they wasted no time reminding us of that fact by beginning with its first single “Regularly Scheduled Programming” to follow what was an upbeat and soulful opening set from Durand Jones & The Indications.

But this headlining performance on the second day of the fall season was as much about the quintet’s new material, including the slow burn of “In Color” for our very first listen of the My Morning Jacket cut, as it was a golden — pun intended since the It Still Moves track by the same name made it onto the setlist this night — opportunity for Jim James (lead vocals, guitar), Tom Blankenship (bass), Patrick Hallahan (drums, percussion), Bo Koster (keyboards, percussion, backing vocals) and Carl Broemel (guitar, pedal steel guitar, saxophone, backing vocals) to put their expansive catalog on display.

MMJ, after all, gifted us not only both parts of “Touch Me I’m Going to Scream” but also hair-raising renditions of “Lay Low”, “One Big Holiday”, “It Beats 4 U”, “Spring (Among the Living)” and “Anytime” while James belted out the lyrics to songs like “Wordless Chorus” (with the disco ball in full effect), “Circuital” and “Feel You” that reaffirmed why he has had one of the best voices in rock, if not all of music, for more than two decades now.

When it came time for the encore though, James and company once again delivered the goods to a crowded amphitheater that was already brimming with excitement. Starting with fan favorite “Victory Dance” before transitioning into “Off the Record” from their seminal record Z, they offered “Where to Begin” on the “Elizabethtown” soundtrack for the first time since 2015. Nonetheless, that brief respite was quickly countered with a final rush of blood to the head that featured “Wasted”, “Run Thru” and “Dancefloors” as the clock struck 10 p.m. to mark the Bowl’s early curfew time.

Cruising back down U.S. 101 to Los Angeles later that evening, I reflected on the last year without live music and how rough it has been to not see some of my favorite acts in the flesh. But after witnessing more than two hours of pure sonic bliss at one of the best venues along the West Coast, I am beyond grateful that there’s MMJ to welcome us all home again.

Setlist:
Regularly Scheduled Programming
Touch Me I’m Going to Scream Pt. 1
Wordless Chorus
Circuital
Lay Low
I’m Amazed (Jim and Carl solo, then full band)
Evil Urges
Golden
Feel You
Climbing the Ladder
One Big Holiday
In Color
It Beats 4 U
Love Love Love
Spring (Among the Living) (>)
Touch Me I’m Going to Scream Pt. 2
Anytime

Encore:
Victory Dance
Off the Record
Where to Begin (last played 11/25/2015)
Wasted (>)
Run Thru (End>)
Dancefloors

Durand Jones & The Indications - Santa Barbara Bowl

Filed Under: Editor's Picks, Featured, Live Music Reviews Tagged With: Durand Jones, Durand Jones & The Indications, Jim James, My Morning Jacket, Santa Barbara Bowl

The Bam Team’s 5 Favorite Shows, Albums & Songs of 2019

December 27, 2019 by The Bam Team 2 Comments

Kali Uchis at Smokin Grooves Fest - Rochelle Shipman

Kali Uchis at Smokin Grooves Fest // Showbams’ Photo of the Year, by Rochelle Shipman

Um, that’s it? Another year in the rear-view mirror? Where the hell did the last 12 months go? Time sure does seem to fly when there’s so much good new music out there to enjoy.

With that said, it’s once again time for us to share our annual “Best of” lists like we have done the past few years (see our 2018 picks here). From new emerging artists to reunion tours to the return of rock ‘n’ roll, this year had a little bit of everything for both the casual and passionate music fan. And even if you didn’t have the time to listen to every album that came out (neither did we), that’s why we’re here: to help point you in the right direction whenever you do finally get the chance to dig in.

So, without further ado, Showbams presents The Bam Team’s five favorite shows, albums and songs from 2019.

See our favorite performances from 2019 here.

Listen to The Bam Team’s favorite songs of 2019:

The Chemical Brothers at Shrine Expo Hall - Josh Herwitt

The Chemical Brothers at Shrine Expo Hall // Photo by Josh Herwitt

Josh Herwitt // Los Angeles

Top 5 Shows of 2019
1. Tool at Staples Center – Los Angeles, CA – October 20th & 21st
Unlike the delay on Tool’s fifth album Fear Inoculum, I thankfully didn’t have to wait 13 years to see my favorite band perform live. It was only a couple of years ago when I caught the boys at The Gorge, earning top honors as my favorite show in 2017, and subsequently a week later at Glen Helen Amphitheater for an all-day affair with Primus, Clutch, Fantômas, Melvins and The Crystal Method. Perhaps my tastes haven’t changed all that much since then, but even in a year that saw me attend half as many concerts as I usually do, Tool are still finding new and innovative ways to enhance their live show. Whether it’s tinkering with their stage production to incorporate a see-through curtain at times or adding surround sound throughout the arena, a Tool performance has evolved into a spiritual, meditative and almost out-of-body experience over the last decade. It’s no wonder why scoring tickets remains a trial of good fortune.

2. The Raconteurs at Santa Barbara Bowl – Santa Barbara, CA – July 27th
3. The Chemical Brothers at Shrine Expo Hall – Los Angeles, CA – May 15th
4. Jim James & The Claypool Lennon Delirium at The Wiltern – Los Angeles, CA – July 3rd
5. FOALS at Shrine Expo Hall – Los Angeles, CA – March 24th

Top 5 Albums of 2019
1. Tool – Fear Inoculum
When a three-time Grammy-winning band takes more than a decade to release its next album, it’s only natural for expectations to go through the roof. And I’ll be the first to admit that there was a small seed of doubt in my mind when it came to just how epic Tool’s latest sonic voyage in the studio could and would be. But upon first listen, any uncertainty I had about the merits of Fear Inoculum was quickly dispelled. The title track lures you in from the onset, building to a higher place as Maynard James Keenan (vocals) and company — Adam Jones (guitar), Justin Chancellor (bass) and Danny Carey (drums, percussion) — take listeners on an 80-minute rite of passage that holds up as some of the quartet’s best material in its entire catalog. I just hope they got at least one more LP in them, even if it takes another 13 years to make.

2. The Raconteurs – Help Us Stranger
3. FOALS – Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost – Part 1
4. The Chemical Brothers – No Geography
5. Black Pumas – Black Pumas

Top 5 Songs of 2019
1. Tool – “Descending”
If you’re still reading, you’ve probably gotten the hint by now that I’m a big fan of Tool. After all, it only seemed fitting that my top song in 2019 should also come from my No. 1 album of the year by my favorite band over the last two decades. I have seen Tool perform a shortened version of “Descending” several times since 2014, before it ever had an official title, so when Fear Inoculum arrived back in August, there was no track I anticipated hearing more. In fact, at more than 13 minutes long, it’s one that requires your full, undivided attention, which can be a significant amount of time to dedicate in a world of three-minute pop songs and endless distractions now. But for prog-rock enthusiasts like myself who are more than willing to take the ride, “Descending” delivers a total rush of blood to the head that ultimately leads to pure unadulterated euphoria.

2. Bon Iver – “Hey, Ma”
3. Hot Chip – “Hungry Child”
4. FOALS – “On the Luna”
5. Karen O and Danger Mouse – “Turn the Light”

Kevin Quandt // San Francisco

Top 5 Shows of 2019
1. Stereolab at Primavera Sound – Barcelona, Spain – June 1st
Primavera Sound has always had a knack for booking reunions (i.e. Pulp, The Avalanches and Pavement) to its “musical mecca” on the Balearic Sea. 2019’s iteration featured the first proper show in nearly a decade from the anti-capitalist art-pop darlings Stereolab. “Come and Play in the Milky Night” on 1999’s Cobra and Phases Group Play Voltage in the Milky Night would open the evening to the international consortium of aging music nerds who undoubtedly knew that they were about to be treated to a “best of” set from the English-French outfit. Better yet, their politically themed lyrical content seemed more relevant in 2019 than it was around the time of their creation a quarter-century ago.

2. Mike Dillon’s New Orleans Punk Rock Percussion Consortium at The Music Box Village – New Orleans, LA – April 26th
3. BLACK MIDI at Rickshaw Stop – San Francisco, CA – November 21st
4. Amen Dunes at August Hall – San Francisco, CA – January 10th
5. Ween at Desert Daze – Perris, CA – October 12th

Top 5 Albums of 2019
1. Cate Le Bon – Reward
What a banner year for the Welsh artist as she created her most highly acclaimed LP to date. Le Bon has truly honed her craft over the last decade as she has collaborated with a laundry list of indie-music royalty before writing the whimsical and austere Reward that employs an array of fresh sounds swirling around her haunting, pixie vocals. 2020 will see Cate jump on tour alongside Kurt Vile in a solo capacity, but we can’t wait to see what she produces next.

2. Wand – Laughing Matter
3. (Sandy) Alex G – House of Sugar
4. The Murder Capital – When I Have Fears
5. Omni – Networker

Top 5 Songs of 2019
1. FOALS – “Sunday”
As FOALS teeter on the edge of being rock’s next big headliner, the British group semi-quietly unleashed a pair of albums entitled Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost – Part 1 and Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost – Part 2. While their style continues to hover around math, dance and indie rock, they dig into a deeper realm of sonic atmosphere as frontman Yannis Philippakis questions, even laments, the state of our current times. “Sunday” tends to borrow a tad from the grandiose nature of their fellow Brits in Coldplay before dropping into a four-on-the-floor section that was rather well-received during their March stop at the Fox Theater in Oakland.

2. Crumb – “Ghostride”
3. Vampire Weekend – “Sunflower” feat. Steve Lacy
4. Oh Sees – “Henchlock”
5. Allah-Las – “In the Air”

Rochelle Shipman // Los Angeles

Top 5 Shows of 2019
1. slowthai at Lodge Room – Los Angeles, CA – September 4th
Shortly after releasing his debut album Nothing Great About Britain in May, Tyron Frampton played a few intimate U.S. shows several months later. My guess is that those were probably the last ones he’ll do if the UK rapper out of Northampton continues to rise and deliver, just like he did for much of 2019. Part Johnny Knoxville-type grime smart ass, part brilliant gritty-crust punk, slowthai shook the roof off LA’s Lodge Room, which turned out to be a warm-up show before he returned to play Camp Flog Gnaw in November. Frampton certainly came to please, setting the energy level at 11 and even performing his rowdy hit “Doorman” twice in the set. He could’ve run through it 15 times and the crowd would’ve left just as satisfied.

2. Little Simz at The Echo – Los Angeles, CA – June 13th
3. Taking Back Sunday at Hollywood Palladium – Los Angeles, CA – April 11th
4. Night Moves at The Echo – Los Angeles, CA – September 21st
5. Usher at Smokin Grooves Fest – Long Beach, CA – June 15th

Top 5 Albums of 2019
1. Little Simz – GREY Area
The production. The flow. The bars. The BALLS. Little Simz absolutely brings it on GREY Area, leaving no space for second-guessing, sexist bullshit or honestly anyone else at all. This latest studio album from the British emcee is all her, and you can feel it with every breath she takes. We should all be so lucky to come into our confidence the way that she did on this record, but most of all, we should just be grateful “Simbi” trusts us to keep her deepest secrets — and that they sound so, so good.

2. slowthai – Nothing Great About Britain
3. Shura – forevher
4. Ari Lennox – Shea Butter Baby
5. White Reaper – You Deserve Love

Top 5 Songs of 2019
1. slowthai – “Doorman” (with Mura Masa)
This song technically dropped in 2018, but its spotlight was shone even wider with slowthai releasing his debut LP this year. The Mura Masa-assisted cut pulses with adrenaline, carries the air of a movie soundtrack in only three minutes and has a beat that will take you all the way to the moon and back. In the words of Lizzo, it’s a whole damn meal!

2. Kari Faux – “Latch Key”
3. Billie Eilish – “bury a friend”
4. Little Simz – “Venom”
5. Smino – “Trina”

Andrew Pohl // San Francisco

Top 5 Shows of 2019
1. IDLES – Fillmore – San Francisco, CA – October 10th
After putting out one of my favorite albums from 2018 and missing their show earlier this year, I was thrilled to finally catch IDLES live. To say that these English punk rockers put on a good performance would be a true understatement. They had the energy of an out-of-control freight train but were able to contain it while proving to be an incredibly fun act to see live. Frontman Joe Talbot engaged with the audience in a very authentic way, talking and singing to fans, not just at them. There were crowd-surfing guitarists, mosh pits and sing-a-longs … it was wild.

2. Punk Rock Bowling 2019 – Las Vegas, NV – May 23rd-27th
3. Judas Priest at The Warfield – San Francisco, CA – June 24th
4. Van’s Warped Tour 2019 at Shoreline Amphitheater – Mountain View, CA – July 20th-21st
5. ITCHY-O at Cornerstone – Berkeley, CA – November 23rd

Top 5 Albums of 2019
1. Tool – Fear Inoculum
Well, after all of the waiting and speculation, Tool have done it again, in a really big way. Fear Inoculum is everything that I was hoping it would be, and then some. HUGE-sounding drums, guitars and bass wrap your head in a warm prog blanket while Maynard does what he always has so well. It takes the best parts of their previous albums and combines them to showcase a band that has clearly not missed a step in the 13 years since 10,000 Days.

2. Bad Religion – Age of Unreason
3. Brittany Howard – Jaime
4. Catbite – Catbite
5. Plague Vendor – By Night

Top 5 Songs of 2019
1. The Hammerbombs – “I Hate Cars”
The Hammerbombs are an undersung Bay Area pop-punk group that have written some of the catchiest and fun songs I have heard from the East Bay scene in a long time. Their 2019 release Goodbye, Dreamboat made my top 10, and this track is the hands-down standout on an album chock-full of toe-tappers. It’s a heartfelt song written by singer and bassist Jen Louie, who has a knack for crafting some really fantastic tunes. The chorus is saccharine sweet, and you can’t help but sing along.

2. Lizzo – “Juice”
3. Bad Religion – “Do The Paranoid Style”
4. Ceremony – “In The Spirit World Now”
5. Lagwagon – “Surviving California”

Filed Under: Best of, Best of 2019, Editor's Picks, Featured Tagged With: (Sandy) Alex G, Air Lennox, Alabama Shakes, Alex G, Allah-Las, Amen Dunes, August Hall, Bad Religion, Best of 2019, Billie Eilish, BLACK MIDI, Black Pumas, Bon Iver, Brittany Howard, Catbite, Cate le Bon, Cornerstone, Crumb, Danger Mouse, Desert Daze, Desert Daze 2019, FOALS, Hollywood Palladium, Hot Chip, IDLES, ITCHY-O, Jim James, Judas Priest, Karen O, Karen O and Danger Mouse, Kari Faux, Les Claypool, Little Simz, Lizzo, Lodge Room, Mike Dillon's New Orleans Punk Rock Percussion Consortium, Mura Masa, Night Moves, Oh Sees, Omni, Plague Vendor, Primavera Sound, Primavera Sound 2019, Punk Rock Bowling, Punk Rock Bowling 2019, Rickshaw Stop, Santa Barbara Bowl, Shoreline Amphitheatre, Shrine Expo Hall, Shura, slowthai, Smino, Smokin Grooves, Smokin Grooves Fest, Smokin Grooves Fest 2019, Staples Center, Stereolab, Taking Back Sunday, The Allah-Las, The Chemical Brothers, The Claypool Lennon Delirium, The Echo, The Fillmore, The Hammerbombs, The Murder Capital, The Music Box Village, The Raconteurs, The Warfield, The Wiltern, Thee Oh Sees, Tool, Usher, Vampire Weekend, Van's Warped Tour, Van's Warped Tour 2019, Wand, Ween, White Reaper, Yeah Yeah Yeah's

The Raconteurs show all at the Santa Barbara Bowl why we need them after 11 years between albums

August 1, 2019 by Josh Herwitt 2 Comments

Photos courtesy of The Raconteurs & David James Swanson // Written by Josh Herwitt //

The Raconteurs with Melvins //
Santa Barbara Bowl – Santa Barbara, CA
July 27th, 2019 //

“Rock is dead.”

It’s one of those overused catch phrases we have clung to at a time when clickbait headlines, Twitter beefs and heartbreaking stories now dominate our news feeds and timelines.

Vice’s music channel Noisey made the case only a year ago in fact, explaining that “the genre has been eclipsed in all measures of popularity and profitability by pop, hip-hop, and EDM.”

But whatever the metrics say, this isn’t the first time that argument has been advanced before.

In Cameron Crowe’s 2000 film “Almost Famous” for those who remember it, renowned music journalist and rock critic Lester Bangs tells a 15-year-old William Miller, “It’s just a shame you missed out on rock and roll.” That didn’t stop Miller from chasing his dream, though. After all, his character is based off of Crowe’s real-life experience covering rock bands like Led Zeppelin as a teenager in the early 70’s, and if anything, Miller proves over the course of the movie that the spirit of rock ‘n’ roll is alive and well, that it hadn’t died by the end of the 60’s like a lot of the counterculture had after Altamont.

Much like then, there are plenty of examples today that make us question the current zeitgeist surrounding rock music and The Raconteurs have the distinct honor of being some of the best in the business right now to dispel this notion after landing at No. 1 on the Billboard 200.

With the release of its third studio effort Help Us Stranger in late June after more than 11 years between albums, the four-piece consisting of Jack White (vocals, guitar, keyboards), Brendan Benson (vocals, guitar), Jack Lawrence (bass) and Patrick Keeler (drums) is finally back in the spotlight where it belongs — and for good reason.

While there are still a few months to go, we can say with confidence at this point that Help Us Stranger will most likely be one of our five favorite LPs from 2019 (see our 2018 picks here). At 41 minutes, it’s another gem from The Raconteurs and especially for White, who continues to put out music at a prolific rate — he just dropped his third solo LP Boarding House Reach last year on his own Third Man Records — that rarely seems to fall flat or short.

Led by “Sunday Driver” and “Now That You’re Gone” as its first two singles, Help Us Stranger is one of those albums you can pop on and listen to from start to finish. Its most abrasive cut “Don’t Bother Me” struggles at the onset but recovers midway through thanks in large part to White’s virtuosic guitar work. There are plenty of other standouts, though, including “Bored and Razed”, “Help Me Stranger”, “Somedays (I Don’t Feel Like Trying)” and “What’s Yours Is Mine” across the record, and it’s impressive how tight The Racs sound despite the long layoff.

On a Saturday night at the picturesque Santa Barbara Bowl — which we’ll argue is the best music venue in Southern California and where we caught White’s first-ever show there last year — The Raconteurs brought those songs to life as they stormed onstage and unleashed total sonic bliss on our ears with a 90-minute performance highlighted by Consolers of the Lonely tracks “You Don’t Understand Me” and “Carolina Drama”, the latter of which came during an extended encore that was capped off by the quartet’s biggest hit “Steady, as She Goes” and what ultimately inspired White and Benson to form the group back in 2005 as a couple of longtime friends from Detroit. All of this, of course, without having access to our mobile phones after locking them in a Yondr pouch and Dean Fertita (Queens of the Stone Age, The Dead Weather) assisting on keyboards and guitar as a touring member.

So hey, maybe this will be the year rock rebounds. For this music writer, it’s starting to feel that way with the return of new Raconteurs material after more than a decade and another one of our favorite rock bands releasing its first album in 13 years later this month (we’ll let you take a guess). Plus, we didn’t even mention that garage-rock duo The Black Keys issued their first record in five years this summer.

Yet, even if rock ‘n’ roll doesn’t attain the same commercial success it once had, those of us who are still giving it our time and ears at least have The Raconteurs (or “The Saboteurs” if you live Down Under). And that, my friends, should be a blessing in and of itself.

Setlist:
Bored and Razed
Level
You Don’t Understand Me
Old Enough
Broken Boy Soldier
Only Child
Together
Now That You’re Gone
Live a Lie
Don’t Bother Me
Sunday Driver

Encore:
Consoler of the Lonely
Help Me Stranger
Somedays (I Don’t Feel Like Trying)
Hey Gyp (Dig the Slowness) (Donovan cover)
Carolina Drama
Steady, as She Goes